Regenesis
by TyrothDarkstorm
Summary: Set in a timestream where their home was discovered, the Mutopians and friends enact their last-resort plan, and escapes into another world, hoping to return to Skyrim and live there in peace. But fate has other ideas. Rated T for the most part, some M later. Non-canon, -ish. Chapter 21 up!
1. Chapter 1

**Man, where do I begin? Well, I guess I can safely say that my muse went on an unannounced vacation, and has yet to return, so I've had to try something else, namely this little project. It sort of continues where one of my other stories, Preparations, ended, though with a bit of a timeskip, just enough so that the kids should be in their mid-teens by now.**

**Also worth noticing is that this story is non-canon, or at the very least taking place in a divergent timeline. Take your pick.  
Anyway, sit back and enjoy this story, where our heroes must now leave their home for another world.  
**

**Regenesis**

**Chapter 1**

**Evacuation**

Flames licked the stone walls of the sewers underneath Chicago, as the mutant Dragon, Tyroth, breathed heavily.

"That's the last of them, but they will be back." he said as he turned to his companions, composing of Jack the Wolf, Sarah the Cheetah and Kate the Viper.

"Let them come!" Kate snarled, lashing out at a dead body of one of their enemies with her whip. "We'll kill them all or die trying rather than letting them threaten our home!"

"Yeah! We'll take them all on!" Sarah joined in, clanking her tonfas against each other.

"No!" Tyroth cut in, a deep frown upon his face. "Staying here to fight will only cause more bloodshed. We'll hold them off for as long as we have to, but we will not engage in a lost battle. Go back to Mutopia, take a few moments to rest and make sure that you've got everything you need packed. If you're all done with that, help the rest of our people. I'll remain on watch until more of the Knights are done."

"Gotcha, boss. If we see them, we'll tell them to hurry up." Jack said with a nod, to which Tyroth nodded in return. "Alright girls, let's move! We got a lot to do!"

The three mutants hurried into the tunnel that lead to what was once the hidden sanctuary of Mutopia, though it was no longer hidden. One of their greatest fears had come to pass, they had been discovered.

No more than two hours earlier, the secret door that hid the village from the outside world had been opened by an outside force, the security hacked by the enemy. Luckily, the Chicago Knights quickly mobilised once the security cameras alerted them to the intruders, and they faced the invaders head on, with Tyroth leading the defence of their home with his blazing blade, cutting down and burning anyone in his way.

They had managed to fight off the invaders, even though some were severely injured in the process, but thanks to the healing water of the magical well in the temple, they were able to recover without issues. However, they were still pushed to their limits, as the enemy kept attacking them again and again, only to withdraw when their losses started to mount.

So far, they hadn't been able to set foot inside Mutopia, but there was no telling just how much longer the Mutopians could keep fighting against a seemingly endless force, as they were seriously outnumbered.

Still, while the Mutopians had been surprised, they were not unprepared.

After the betrayal of the rogue Mutopian, Diablo the Raven, once the brother of the Lizardlady Monalisa, Callum Freeman, the Mutopians had taken precautions, suggested by by Tyroth. In the case of their home becoming compromised, they would evacuate to a place where no-one could follow them, and they had practised often to make sure they all knew what to do. And that might just have been the difference between life and whatever fate awaited them at the hands of their enemies.

While the evacuation was fully underway, but there were still many things to do before they were ready to leave Mutopia, most likely for good, not to mention people that they were waiting for, friends and family that lived elsewhere and which where offered to join as the Mutopians started a new life.

* * *

Tyroth stood silent in the tunnel, keeping all his senses on high alert for any signs more foes. He might be far more powerful than even the strongest humans, but he couldn't allow himself be caught off guard, it could spell disaster for them all.

Sounds behind him instantly drew his attention, but he wasn't worried, he knew that only Mutopians were behind him. There were other paths into the village, through the caves and tunnels that stretched throughout the underground were long and unknown by everyone, save for the Mutopians.

"Hey, boss!" Tyroth heard the voice of Sharky the Shark behind him, as said mutant arrived followed closely by Percy the Grasshopper and Heather the Dragonfly. "Everything calm around here?"

"For now at least. But I doubt that will last." the dragon said without looking at his friends, instead keeping his eyes scanning the sewers.

"Figures..." Percy muttered. "The bastards don't know when to quit, no matter how many times we kick their asses. I'm seriously getting tired of all the ass-kicking I've had to do."

"With any luck, we won't have to for much longer. How goes the evacuation?"

"Everything is going as well as we have practised." Heather answered. "And your parents arrived just a little while ago, both perfectly safe and sound."

"That's the best news I've had since this mess started. I would have preferred that they wouldn't get involved, but Mom insisted on it. Anything else?"

"Like Heather said, everyone's ready, been for a while actually." Sharky said. "James got what medicines, bandages and whatnot he can bring packed. Louie has people helping him carry what food they can. Leona is bringing tools and materials, simple ones, just like you said."

"All those drills were worth the time and effort. What about Cam and Barry?"

"They are at the temple, just as you told them to be once they were done with their other tasks." said Heather.

"Good. Any news on Rattletrap yet?"

"Yeah, he's on his way back, maybe another twenty minutes at most." said Percy.

"Good. I'm glad that the others wanted to come along too, and that they were able to get ready in such a short notice. One hour isn't a lot of time to get ready, but that's all we could give them."

"We know what you mean." said Sharky. "That jet might be quick and quiet, but it still takes an hour to get to New York. But that hour on the way back must be torture for them right now."

"I can imagine. Just having to sit and wait while not being able to do anything, and after having to abandon their own home too." said Heather.

"I mean, there is that, but I was thinking about having to spend that hour with Rattletrap."

The others couldn't help but chuckle a little at Sharky's remark, but their smiles were quickly replaced by the more grim look that they've had ever since they were first attacked. They needed to be on guard.

But even though it was a good thing that they kept that attitude, nothing happened as they stood guard, and that worried them.

Fifteen minutes later, however, there was once again activity, and again, it was from the Mutopian side as the rest of the Knights joined up, including Amber the Marine Iguana, Devina the Werewolf/Vampire, Jake Freeman and Sephie the Gecko.

"We're almost done, big brother." Amber reported. "Everyone ready is gathering in the tunnel to the cave with the waterfall as we've decided. All we're waiting for now are Mona and the others, then we can leave."

"Finally, all this waiting around is killing me." said Percy.

"It will be over soon, Percy." Tyroth said. "Once we head back, we'll seal the entrance behind us, forcing our foes to blast their way through it, that should buy us a couple of minutes at least, during which time we should have managed to get out of here."

"Guess it's time for you to take care of the last thing then, love." Sephie said, giving her lover a worried look.

"The temple." the dragon said, sharing his mate's worried expression. "I remember. I really wish I didn't have to, but it can't be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. It must be destroyed."

"I just wish we knew for sure that it won't kill us." said Jack, a shiver running down his spine and out into his tail. "I know you said it won't, boss, but I'm still not sure."

"I don't blame you, Jack. But I've spent a lot of time examining the magic behind it, and I am certain that we will be alright, but that's sadly all the guarantee I can give you."

"Just get it over with." Jake said, checking his gun yet again. "The sooner we're done with this shitstorm, the better. We'll keep guard and hold the line until your done."

"Then be careful, I'll be back as soon as I can." Tyroth said as he hurried back into the village.

* * *

It didn't take long to move through the now almost empty sanctuary, and it hurt his heart fiercely to see his beloved home in that state, but he didn't have time to stop and feel sorry about it, he had to keep running until he reached the temple.

After a short moment more of running, he arrived at the temple, where he met Cam the Rhino and Barry the Warthog just as they were leaving, each carrying backpacks on their backs and a large wooden keg under one arm.

"Hiya, boss!" Cam said. "We're just finished here."

"Yep, two barrels of the well's water, each holding fifty litres, tightly sealed and ready to go." Barry said, patting his barrel.

"Great work, guys. Join up with the rest and do a headcount, we don't want to leave anyone behind."

"Sure thing, big guy. And good luck."

Once the two mutants were out of sight, Tyroth entered the temple, taking one final look at it. It was the source of the second chance to a new life that most of them had taken, some by choice, others by necessity.

He ran his fingers across the runes on the walls, all the history of the ancient dragons, sighing as it would all soon be gone forever. At least he had taken the time to write it all down, but it all still tore at his soul nonetheless.

Walking over to the well, he stared into the crystal clear water, whose magic had turned them into mutants while healing all physical wounds. Ever since Diablo betrayed them and fled, Tyroth had come there to meditate in order to unravel the secrets woven into the enchantment in order to be able to understand it, and destroy it.

"Thaenia… Gods… forgive me for what I have to do, but I see no other way." he said under his breath, as he raised his right fist high about his head and channelled his mana into it.

Fire erupted around it, burning hotter and hotter for every second, spreading its red light and heat throughout the temple, causing some of the water closest to the dragon to evaporate slightly, small trails of steam rising from the well.

Crying out in anguish, Tyroth brought his fist down, plummeting into the water, causing a massive explosion of flames to fill the room as the magic contained within erupted.

Opening his eyes, Tyroth saw what his magical flames had done, and it was exactly what he needed to do, though he couldn't help the tears that fell because of it.

The walls had been melted to the point that it was impossible to see that anything had ever been written on them, as was the tablet by the well. All pillars had been destroyed, while the well itself left no trace of its existence behind. The remains of the magic that was once held within that room quickly dissipated as the enchantment had been thoroughly destroyed.

With his task done, Tyroth left what used to be their most sacred place with a heavy heart. There was no longer any chance that the water could ever be used for evil.

* * *

Now that the temple was no more, there were little else to do than seal up the door and leave, especially since their friends from New York had arrived during the time that Tyroth had destroyed the temple, and had joined the others in waiting.

As he joined up with the other Knights, Tyroth was pleased to learn that nothing had happened while he was away, though it still worried him that their enemy hadn't made any moves for such a long time. Whatever they were planning, it was bound not to be anything good for the Mutopians.

But they weren't going to wait for their enemies to make their next move, they had their own to make, and after that, their foes would be left without a target or a prize.

With all the Knights withdrawing into the sanctuary, they physically sealed the door behind them, engaging locks that could only be opened by hand from the inside, so no matter how good hackers the foes might have, they would not be able go break in without heavy tools.

* * *

As the Knights arrived in the tunnel where everyone was waiting, Tyroth got a quick report from Barry.

"Everyone's present and accounted for, aside from you Knights of course." the warthog explained. "Even the New Yorkers are here and we're all ready."

"Excellent, then we can leave." the dragon said as he hurried onward.

As he did, he ran into their friends from New York, the Turtle brothers Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo, their adoptive father Splinter the Rat, adoptive sister Monalisa the Lizard, as well as the children Pandora, the Lizard/Turtle hybrid daughter of Raphael and Monalisa, and Kemeko, the adoptive human daughter of Leonardo. Even their human allies, April O'Neil and Casey Jones, were present.

"Glad to see you all." Tyroth said as he greeted them.

"I would say that we're glad to be here, but that would only be partly true." said Leonardo. "But we won't let our dear friends fend for themselves in Skyrim."

"And you did offer us to join when you told us of this plan, which we really appreciate." said April.

"We're not there yet, but it won't be long, just a few moments." Tyroth said, walking into the cave that the tunnel led to. Once there, he stood by the edge to the abyss below and turned to everyone gathered, speaking with a strong voice.

"Alright everyone, listen up! We only got one shot at this, so we must make it count! Anyone left behind is completely on their own, whether we want to or not! Everyone, keep your belongings close, link hands and don't let go until I say so!"

It took a minute, but Tyroth got the confirmation that everyone was linked together. Knowing that, he grasped the Talisman of Misplacement, the very artefact that had originally transported him and a few others to the Skyrim on the world of Nirn.

Holding the talisman, he closed his eyes as he braced himself for what was to come, though he opened his eyes when he felt someone squeeze his other hand, seeing his beloved Sephie giving him a reassuring look, the same one she had given him when he was deciding whether or not to mutate to survive all those years ago.

With renewed determination, Tyroth let his mana flow into the item, activating it as he had done once before, causing it to glow brightly, and that light soon engulfed everyone gathered.

Once the light died down, there was no trace left of the people, with exception of the talisman, which still hung in the air where Tyroth's hand once held it, before finally falling, into the abyss below and the water that flowed underneath the surface, to be pulled along the strong currents and never be seen again by the people of Earth.

And neither were the Mutopians and their friends.

**This was a heavy first chapter, but I wanted to get the ball rolling. As you saw, Mutopia was attacked, which happend just prior to the beginning, and the enemy has been kept vague on purpose. though more info may come in the next few chapters, if only a little. But like I said in the beginning, this will be either non-canon or in its own micro-canon, an alternate canon if you will.**

**Anyhow, check in next time to see how our heroes fare in their new home to be.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Arrival**

A bright flash of light illuminated an area unknown to the Mutopians and friends, but they could not see that, for as suddenly as the light had appeared in the area, it faded, leaving them all in complete darkness.

"Well, this is just swell! More darkness! Can't very well look at things from the bright side now, can we?"

"Shut up, Rattletrap!" basically everyone yelled at the same time, and shortly after, a slap could be heard as well.

"Ouch! Okay, whose the wiseguy, huh?!" the rat complained. "You better not mess with the rat, or you'll be sorry!"

"Rattletrap, please, that's enough." Tyroth said calmly.

"But-"

"Shut up."

"Okay, boss…" the rat sighed in defeat.

"Thank you. Now, everyone just stay calm, and I'll try to shed some light on this."

Tyroth raised his fist into the air and channelled his mana into it, aiming to make it glow so that they could all see again, but nothing happened. Confused, he tried again, but with the same result, not even when he tried to light it on fire did anything happen, so the darkness remained.

"While we're still young, Big T." Raphael groaned.

"Something's not right here." the dragon explained. "My magic isn't working for some reason."

"Then allow me." said Devina, who focused her own magical powers into one of her light spells, but just as for Tyroth, nothing happened, despite several tries. "Um… scratch that. My magic ain't working either."

"Anyone got a torch then?" Casey asked.

"I don't see what the problem is, I can see just fine." said Freya the Geckoling.

"Yeah, me too." said her younger twin brother, Loki.

"That's because, just like me, the two of you have dark vision." their father explained. "We can see through even complete darkness, but the others aren't as lucky. So how about you two help me with a head count while I check our surroundings a bit more."

"Sure thing, dad!" the twins said enthusiastically.

While his children were doing their task, Tyroth began examining the dark room they were all in.

It was a square room, just over two and a half metre in height and barely large enough to fit the group of mutants and humans, the floor, walls, and ceiling all being made of the same square granite tiles. There were also several torch sconces on the walls, but they were all empty. Where Tyroth stood when they arrived, at the end of the room, was a small square pillar, again of granite, on which this reality's Talisman of Misplacement rested, while at the opposite end of the room was a stone door.

After carefully making his way through his friends, he pushed the heavy door open and found a corridor that went on for quite some distance, as the dragon couldn't even see the end of it from the door, but he none the less decided to see where it lead.

Taking his first steps down the corridor, he remembered the traps he and the others had, from the spray of poisoned needles to the swirling blades. While some of those were not much of an issue for the powerful dragon, some were far more dangerous, and none of them were good news for the others.

Deciding to take the risk, Tyroth stepped on every tile on the floor, putting a good amount of weight on them to check for traps, as well as pressing all of the tiles on the walls and the ceiling as well. It would take a while, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

After almost thirty minutes, Tyroth finally reached the end of the corridor, where there was another door, and he hadn't found any traps so far, so that was one worry less.

However, the architecture of the room and corridor, as minimalistic as it was, wasn't anything he recognised from the ruins of Skyrim he had seen, but it could simply be another kind of ruins that they never saw. It could even be fairly new place, maybe even made by the wise old dragon Paarthurnax, who said that he would hide the talisman in a safe place once they all left the first time.

Opening the door, Tyroth felt a draft from the other side, and looking through the opening, he saw what appeared to be a natural cave, and from around a corner, light could be seen. Knowing that they had a way out, Tyroth turned back to get the others.

But as he was walking, he couldn't quite figure out why his and Devina's magic didn't work. Maybe it was similar to how their electronic devices lost their power during the transportation, only that their magic naturally recovered after a time, but he couldn't be sure, since they didn't need to use any magic after any of the two transportations before.

But that wasn't neither here nor there at that moment, he had people that he needed to get to safety.

* * *

As soon as he returned, he was met by his children, both of which eagerly reported their findings.

"Everyone's here, dad." Freya said.

"Yeah, and I'm sure glad no one got left behind." said Loki.

"So, did you have any luck?" Freya asked.

"I think so. There seems to be a way out of here, so let's lead everyone out and we'll get our bearings."

* * *

It took a little while, but the trio managed to lead everyone out of the ruin and out into the daylight, the exit being little more than a hole in a hillside.

"Sweet daylight! How I've missed you!" Michelangelo exclaimed as he stretched his arms towards the sun high above them.

"So this is Skyrim, huh? It's a lot less cold and snowy that you made it seem." James the Chimpanzee said as he looked around.

And he was right, something that those that had been to Skyrim noticed. They could see mountains towering in the distance and massive areas of forests and meadows in front of them, but the temperature and overall climate seemed slightly warmer, and no matter how hard they looked, they just couldn't see anything they recognised.

"Does anything of this seem familiar to you, Devina?" Sephie asked. "I mean, you were travelling all over your world for a very long time and all."

"Sorry, can't say that I do." the hybrid responded. "It could be a place that I just don't remember or never actually visited, or even a place that don't have any landmarks that stand out."

"Whatever the case, it sure beats hanging around back where we were." said Percy.

"No doubt about that." said Sharky. "So what's our next move?"

"To survive out in the wilderness, I would recommend that we find a source of freshwater." said Donatello. "And if that source is a river or similar, we can follow it and have high odds of finding a settlement, and hopefully they can point us in the right direction."

"Sounds like a plan to me." said Tyroth as he walked ahead of the others to get a better view of the immediate area.

But after a few metres, he fell to one knee with his hands on his head, grimacing in pain and discomfort.

"Tyroth!? What's wrong?!" Sephie asked worried as she hurried to his side, followed closely by their children. But all three of them stopped when they reached his side, all holding there heads, but only Sephie remaining standing, who also seemed to recover faster.

"What's happening to you guys?!" Monalisa asked and was about to hurry to her friends' sides, but was blocked by James.

"Everyone stay back. I'll have a look at them." the Chimpanzee said, and being the resident doctor, everyone listened to him.

When he reached the group, they all seemed to have recovered, but James also felt what had afflicted them. A sudden migraine seemed to strike in that area, with no explanation to why, but just like Sephie, James himself wasn't as affected as Tyroth and the Geckolings.

"Okay, as a doctor, I can safely say that this is weird. Are all of you okay?"

"I think we'll be fine, doc." said Tyroth as he stood back up.

"But what was it, dad? My head hurt so much I thought it was going to explode." said Loki.

"I'm not sure, but I have a thought, and it worries me." the dragon said, turning back to the others.

Holding out his hand, he once again channelled his mana into it, and this time it erupted in flames, just as it was supposed to. But as he moved it forward, the flames vanished from his fingertips, and then more of of his hand as he kept moving it forward, and when he pulled back, the flames returned.

"You're not doing that on your own, are you, Tyroth?" Leonardo asked.

"No. It's some form of barrier here that apparently cancels out magic. An anti-magical field, if you will."

"That would explain why we couldn't use our magic in the ruin." said Devina. "And I'm willing to bet that when you guys exited this field, all the magic rushed back into your bodies, overwhelming you for a bit, and the same will probably happen to me as well."

"But both Sephie and I were also affected." said James. "And while she has had temporary magical powers, neither of us have any under normal circumstances. Even if we were transformed by the well."

"Not entirely true." said Tyroth. "Every creature of our world has a small amount of magic in their souls, but only a few have enough to use it as a force. So while inside this field, you all have that inner source nullified, and will all get the same weaker effect once you exit it."

"So a slight migraine's to be expected? Gotcha. But how come the talisman worked then?" asked Cam.

"Yeah, it's within the field too, isn't it?" said Sarah.

"One thing at a time, right now let's just make sure that every leaves the field without any worse issues."

It didn't take any long time for the large group to leave the field, and just as Tyroth and Devina had suspected, everyone suffered a minor migraine upon leaving it, and Devina had a far larger one, just like the other magic users. During most of that time however, Tyroth stood silent, seemingly deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about, hun?" Sephie asked her mate.

"We're not in Skyrim, or that world for that matter."

"We're not? But then where are we, and how can you be so sure?" his mother, Erica asked.

"This world, its magical energies feel different, from both Skyrim and Earth. As to where we are… Sephie, Leo, Donnie and Mikey, gather around me."

Confused, the mutants did as asked.

"What's going on, dude? You're starting to freak me out." said Michelangelo.

"Just relax, this shouldn't take long." Tyroth said calmly. "Relax and open your minds, feel the world around you, the energies the courses through everything. Can you feel it?"

"I can, and it's… oh God…" Donatello said, his eyes widening as the realisation hit him, and the others reacted the same way.

"It can't be!"

"I'm afraid it's true, Leo." Tyroth said, turning to the rest of their large group.

"What's going on?" April asked.

"Everyone, we did not reach Skyrim as intended, instead we've arrived on a completely different world, and that world belongs to the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game."

**And on that bombshell, we'll end this chapter. Needless to say, our heroes seems to have taken a wrong turn somewhere.**

**Also, there are several references to one of my previous stories, Mutants Misplaced. Give that a read if your curious.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**The First Night**

"Whoa! Rewind a bit, man! We are **where**?" Moe the Mole asked, one hand tugging at his dreadlocks.

"Dungeons and Dragons? That game that you guys have played a few times over the years?" asked Casey. "With pen and paper and all those strange dice?"

"The very same." Tyroth answered.

"Well, didn't we take a massively wrong turn somewhere." said Bill the duck, scratching his feathered head. "But how did we end up here, and not Skyrim?"

"I wish I knew. I was certain that we would go to Skyrim, that I knew how to use the talisman, but clearly something went wrong."

"Well, if you ask me, this seems a lot better." said Hacker the Spider. "I don't really like the cold and snow."

"Are you certain that this world is from this game of yours." Splinter asked.

"We are, master." said Leonardo.

"Like, totally so." Michelangelo cut in.

"Tyroth, Sephie, Mikey, Donnie and I all played characters that possessed magic when we sort of became them because of that enchanted die that we told you about. I don't know exactly why, but I guess that we're a little more sensitive or attuned to that kind of energy, and once we took a moment to stop and feel the aura of this world, we all instantly recognised it, and Tyroth did so faster than us, having magic normally."

"However, it's not exactly the same, but rather like a neighbouring frequency on a radio, meaning that this world could be almost identical to the one our game took place in, but still very different." said Tyroth. "Or it could be completely different, there really is no telling, especially with all the different worlds that both the creators of the game and the players have created over the years. But that remains to be seen."

"What do you mean by that?" his father Richard asked.

"While this isn't were we intended to go, it is still possible that we can start our new lives here instead."

"It sounds like we got a choice in the matter." said Jack. "But what about the talisman? I guess that we can just bring it out here and use it, but I still don't understand how it worked in the first place while inside that anti-magical field."

"Oh! I know that!" Michelangelo almost cheered, raising his hand as if waiting for permission to speak from Tyroth, who gave him a quick nod. "An Anti-Magical Field stops all kinds of magic, except the most powerful ones, like almost God-tier items and spells. The talisman must be one of those, since we did get here."

"Very well done, Mikey." Tyroth praised with a smile.

"You really knew that?" Raphael asked with a confused look on his face.

"Yeah. I really like that game, so I actually read the books. Surprised myself with that, truth be told." the orange masked turtle responded with a sheepish smile.

"Getting back on topic." Tyroth said, clearing his throat a little. "Like I was going to say, we do have a choice here. We could use the talisman to again try to reach Skyrim, though I understand if any of you don't trust it after the mishap we just had, or we could stay here instead."

"So we're choosing between two places that most of us don't even know about? Feels a bit like we're stuck between a rock and a hard place, boss." said Sharky.

"Yeah, could we get some more details, please?" said April.

"I'll do my best." the dragon said, trying to gather his thoughts. "When we left Skyrim, years ago, they were in the middle of a civil war and dragons had just returned from basically being extinct, but we have no idea how all that turned out, so we don't know how things are right now. Back then, however, there were humans, elves and two kinds of beast folk, cat and lizard respectively, and as one might suspect, there were prejudices against certain groups from certain other.

On this world, however, there is no telling if there's war nearby or not right now, and we also don't know if they even speak any languages that we know, so we could have a lot of trouble with that as well. On the other end however, there should be a good chance that it is common knowledge of other realms, such as the Elemental Planes and the Astral Plane, and the creatures that dwell there, so people shouldn't be too shocked with us, especially not if travel between the planes is fairly common. But even if that isn't the case, there is a good chance that there are many different humanoids and other sentient creatures here, we're talking elves, orcs, lizard folks, minotaurs, shape shifters, bird people, fairies, angels and many more."

"Sounds like we'll stand out the least here then." said Devina. "And I for one won't have to deal with any of those vampire and bounty hunters that were after me back on Nirn, so this place gets my vote."

There were some murmurs among the people, as they discussed what choice to make, but in the end, they more or less agreed to give this new world a chance, especially since several of them didn't trust the talisman to work and might send them to a place far worse than where they already were.

"Okay people, gather your stuff, and let's head out!" Tyroth said in a loud voice. "I want the elders and the children in the middle! Sharky, Raph and Mona on the right, and Heather, Mikey and Kate on the left! Jack, Devina, Donnie, Sarah and Percy in the back, while Sephie, Amber, Jake and Leo are in the front with me! Keep your eyes, ears and noses open for any sign of people and dangers!"

"So what's the plan?" Patch the Badger asked.

"Like Donatello said, we need first to find a source of fresh water, and hopefully people after that. Oh, and one more thing. Be careful by whom you praise, swear or curse, they might just exist here and could be listening, or someone claiming to be them."

* * *

The group wandered throughout the forests for several hours before the sun began to set, and they decided to set up camp in a small glade for the night.

The sky was clear and the stars shone brightly like tiny gems in the distance while three moons made their way across the night sky, one blue, one green and one white. Despite the clear night, it was far from cold, with only a small but pleasant chill in the breeze of the otherwise warm summer night.

Having sett up a couple of campfires, and cooking some simple food to eat, the group was finally able to properly start processing what had happened, and discuss it with each other.

"Okay, tell us straight, guys, who was it that attacked you?" Raphael asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"If we only knew, Raph." Tyroth responded, taking a bit of his food. "There was so much that didn't make sense with our foes."

"No kidding." said Jack. "I, for one, squared off with a few Foot ninja, or so I thought at least. The did look the part, but the way they fought felt off compared to the other times I've dealt with them."

"I saw a few that had automatic weapons." said Percy. "I'm talking full on assault rifles and stuff."

"And don't get me started on the assholes I had to fight." Kate almost growled. "Some were dressed like Foot ninja, but didn't fight like them, and then there were some that did fight like Foot ninja, but didn't look the part."

"I remember them, I can't help but think they might be some government black-ops kind of thugs." said Sharky.

"But we never saw the likes of the Shredder, Arashi or Arden." said Amber. "Not even a single one of Arden's creatures either."

"Long story short, we got no clue what or who we were really dealing with." said Jake. "But they were very skilled at what they did."

"No kidding!" said Hacker. "I didn't even notice that they were hacking our security, and they were taking it slow and steady too, treading very carefully to bypass every firewall and layer of protection I've programmed. If it hadn't been for me installing extra cameras and such, which were on a separate network and thus out of their reach, we would never have seen them coming."

"And we are very thankful for all the work you put into our security, Hacker. We would not be here now without it." George the Turtle said, the elder of Mutopia placing a comforting hand on the spider's shoulder.

"I still wish I could have done more."

"We all wish we could have done more, so join the club, Hacker old buddy." said Sarah.

"So they were skilled and knew where you lived." Leonardo summarised.

"Bet ya five bucks that I know who tipped them off." Rattletrap growled. "That traitorous, good for nothing raven!"

"Diablo." Raphael said through gritted teeth, but he refrained from saying anything more as he saw that his mate seemed uncomfortable with where the conversation had lead.

It was no secret that Diablo was Monalisa's younger brother, it was she who had brought him to Mutopia to save his life with the well's healing, only for him to betray them all and leave the sanctuary, risking to expose their existence to the humans with his so called crusade against sinners.

With a few rare exceptions, no one blamed her for her brother's actions, as they would have done the same in her place, and Monalisa had managed to work through the guilt, but she still felt responsible if nothing else, not to mention that she still cared for her brother.

"We don't know that it was Diablo." Tyroth said. "While he claimed that he wouldn't reveal our home, it's true that he's the only one that knew of Mutopia that we can't trust. Still, even if he did tell our attackers, we can't know for sure that he did so of his free will. I for one know just how… persuasive the Foot can be, if they were involved in this."

"As do I." said Amber. "But with how easily the broke through our security, they might just as well have had some machine or other that could find us."

"Whatever the case, we're here now, and they ain't." said Jack. "We can discuss this for years and it won't change what happened, so we might as well just get on with our lives in this new place."

"Once we've found somewhere to live. I'm not too keen on being a nomad, already done that once before." said Percy as he roasted a piece of meat over the fire.

"Quiet!" Kate said sharply.

"For real? What did I say now?"

"It's not you, vermin. I think I heard something."

Everyone went silent and started to scan their surroundings with both eyes and ears.

"There they are." Tyroth said, getting up and placing himself between the group and what he had found, and the others waited with baited breath to see what.

A pack of large wolves, at least twenty of them, emerged from the shadows, all snarling and growling, and one larger than the rest of them lead them.

Tyroth locked eyes with the pack leader, and the alpha recognised this act of challenge, taking several steps towards the dragon, growling and snarling even louder, but Tyroth didn't move. The wolf became even more agitated and began barking violently as it lunged a few feet at Tyroth, but he still didn't budge an inch.

With nothing having worked so far, the alpha wolf was forced to use its final option to assert dominance over the one who stood against the pack, attack. With its jaws open and the sharp teeth gleaming in the light from the fires, it again lunged at Tyroth, and this time it got a response from the dragon.

Tyroth thrust his upper body forward while unleashing a powerful roar, causing the wolf to stop dead in its tracks as its fur billowed in the force of the roar. When the roar had ended, the alpha was laying on the ground with its tail between its legs, whining loudly. Seeing this, the other wolves more or less followed suit, their hostility and aggression having been replaced by submission.

"Scram!" Tyroth shouted at the wolves, stomping one foot hard on the ground for emphasis, and the pack quickly did just that.

"Ha! That should teach those mutts whose boss!" Rattletrap laughed.

"Don't get too cocky just because I scared off some wolves." Tyroth said as he sat down together with the others again. "I know that you're all used to me being this nigh-unbeatable guy, but in this world, I am not at the top of the food chain. Even the magical powers I have can be matched by humans, and there are other far more powerful entities here."

"Tyroth's right." said Leonardo. "From my own experiences in the game, this kind of world has a lot of powerful creatures and spirits, so we do best to remain vigilant until we find a safe place. That said, I don't think we're at any great risk here in the woods, but we should still have people take turns keeping watch."

"Something tells me it's gonna be a long night." Michelangelo sighed. "And on top of that, we got no marshmallows."

**Our heroes set out to find, well, whatever that's out there, and now you've all gotten a few questions answered, more or less anyway. Tyroth also makes it clear that he's not the strongest around any more, as gods and godlike entities are very much real in DnD.**

**Also, Mikey knows stuff, who knew. Something like this hasn't happened since the 2003 episode Return of the Justice Force. :)**

**As per usual, Bloodrayne666's characters are her own, as are the stories that I reference to, such as Falling Inside the Black, sequel to Oh Sister Where Art Thou?. Check them both out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A Ruined Start**

A second night had passed for the group since they had evacuated from Earth, and arrived in this new world, and possibly new reality as well. So far, it had been a moderately trying time, if only because they were still coming to terms with the loss of their homes, while the forested areas never proved really challenging, only lacking in comforts.

The individuals that had previously been to Skyrim; Tyroth, Sephie, Monalisa, and the Turtles, had all taken time to change into the fur based attires that they had acquired there, while Devina, an original resident of that world, had swapped into her old clothes from that time, consisting of dark grey pants and tunic with long sleeves, a belt, and a hooded black cloak.

"I can't believe I have to wear these stupid clothes again." Raphael muttered loudly, constantly trying to readjust his fur armlets. He was also wearing a fur loincloth, shirt and boots, with his standard belt and pads for both elbows and knees, same as his brothers, though he and Michelangelo's shirts were sleeveless and they both had the armlets, while Leonardo and Donatello had sleeves that ended just above their elbows and their normal leather wristlets.

"Here we go again." Michelangelo sighed, rolling his eyes, to which his girlfriend, Kate, giggled a little, though she tried to stifle it.

"I take it he was like this the first time too then?" said Heather.

"Yep, I thought that he would at least have matured a little bit more since then."

"What'cha saying over there, Mikey?!" Raphael snapped.

"Nothing."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'll-"

"Honey, please." Monalisa said to her mate. She was wearing fur boots, a loincloth and a sleeveless top with a low neckline. "I know you don't like to wear clothes, but we don't want to cause any larger scene than we have to. In any way."

The red-masked turtle grumbled, but he knew that she was right, and while it wasn't cold at the moment, who knew how it might be in a few months, and cold and reptiles did not mix well.

From the front of the group, Sephie threw a glance over her shoulder at her friends. She was dressed in the same kind of clothes as Monalisa, but wore armlets similar to those of Raphael and Michelangelo, as well as her normal pads, while Tyroth only had a loincloth and a set of armlets.

"Good thing that you placed Raph and Mona on the same side, hun." she said in a low voice as they all kept walking through the forests. "She's one of the few that can keep him in check."

"Believe it or not, but I didn't actually think of that at first." the dragon answered. "I just know how much they care for each other, just like you and I, so I thought it would be for the best to keep them together. You do know how some can get if they are apart from their mate."

"Do I ever. Some might even do something as stupid as storming an enemy stronghold all alone." Sephie said with a small chuckle, remembering how she had done just that once.

"We all tend to go to the extremes to help our loved ones, that's for sure." said Jake. "Speaking of extremes, so far we've had a good lack of that here. Even the weather has been very pleasant."

"Yeah, it has." said Amber. "If a bit on the warmer side. And being a reptile, I'm fine with that."

"Sadly, that come with its own issues." said Leonardo. "If it stays this warm, or gets even warmer, we'll use more water, and we don't have enough to last us for more than a couple of more days left."

"I know, Leo." said Tyroth. "And so far, we haven't found even a small pond or stream, not for a lack of looking. But with how green everything is around here, there has to be water somewhere, even if it's only underground."

"Let's just hope we find some on the surface soon." said Sephie.

* * *

A few more hours passed, and the group had still not found any water, but they did find something else. A road.

Though, in all honesty, it wasn't much more than a dirt path, broad enough to allow a cart to be pulled by animals, pretty much like many less trafficked roads through forests and such on Earth, though this one didn't seem very well used, at least not recently if the scattered plants growing in it was anything to go by.

"So we found an old road. Now what?" said Rattletrap, looking first one direction and then the other. "Which way do we go?"

"Yeah, and how do we decide? Should we vote?" asked Bill.

"If no one's against it, we could always flip a coin." Devina suggested, fishing up a gold coin from one of several pouches she had attached to her belt.

After she and the others had returned from Skyrim, she was given what gold and gems they still had when she decided to explore the human world of Earth. Over the years, she had sold several gems to get the cash needed to pay for her expenses, as well as some things for the Mutopians, but she still had about two dozen gems left and several hundred coins, and they were their only currency at the moment.

"Heads, we follow the road to the left, tails, to the right. Sounds good?" she said, and received several nods of approval.

So she flipped the coin high into the air, catching it on the way down and placing it on the back of her hand, before lifting her other hand to show the result to the other. On the coin they saw the dragon seal of Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time.

"That's tails, so that means we go right." she proclaimed, pocketing the coin again.

"Let's hope that the dragon guides us to safety then." said Vincent the Owl.

* * *

For several hours the large group walked on the road, and judging by the sun, seemingly heading east according to Donatello, before eventually leaving the forested area behind them.

Spreading out in front of them were what looked like open fields covered in tall grass or similar, and farther ahead they could see a large number of scattered trees and buildings, and beyond them to the east, a large body of water, while a smaller mountain spread out to the north of it, no more than half an hour from the edge of the settlement.

"Look! A town!" said Leona the Fox.

"Man, it's good to see civilisation again." said Barry. "Wonder if the locals are friendly."

"That's a good question." said April. "Maybe we humans should go first, talk a bit with the inhabitants and tell them about us."

"Not a bad idea, but we don't know what people lives there, or what they think of humans, and should something go wrong, it would be best if there are more of us who can fight." said Tyroth.

"Tyroth's right." said Leonardo. "It's far safer if we all stay together."

The others agreed with this statement, and so the large group followed the road to the settlement in front of them, a walk that would take them about half an hour, but as they got closer, they noticed that there was a surprising lack of sound. They couldn't hear any people working, no children playing, and the only animals they heard were some seagulls near the water.

* * *

"Hello? Anyone in there?" Sephie called out as she knocked on the door of one of the houses, but she got no response.

"This place it abandoned." Kemeko said, trying to peer through a dirty window. "Like a ghost town. I don't like this, it's creepy."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Kemeko, I think this is cool." said Pandora. "I can't wait to check everything out."

"Not so fast, girls." master Splinter cautioned. "We do not yet know why this place is abandoned, and until we do, we must be careful.

As the group had entered the village, they found no evidence of activity for quite some time. The buildings they had seen so far showed a little wear and tear from weather and wind, but otherwise looked to be in fairly good quality.

However, once they reached the water, and found a small harbour, they saw that several of the buildings were in far worse shape, especially those closest to the beach. They showed signs of fire having ravaged them, some having large holes in the roofs, while a few were only half as much house as they used to be. One had even completely burnt to the ground, with only the stone foundation remaining.

"Looks like they were attacked, and from the water no less." said old George.

"I think it's safe to assume that the inhabitants evacuated either during or after the attack." said Richard.

"Must have been quite a while ago." said Patch. "I mean, just look at how overgrown the gardens are. I'd probably guess six months or more."

"So, what do we do know?" Alice the Chinchilla asked, her round ears nervously twitching slightly.

While the others started talking among themselves, Tyroth took a good look around them, thinking deeply as he did so.

"I think we should stay here." he finally said, catching everyone's attention.

"Stay here? In this ruin of a ghost town?" Rattletrap asked. "It looks worse than one of my failed projects."

"Nothing looks worse than your failed projects." said Donatello. "And I should know, I've had to fix a lot of them."

"Listen, guys." Tyroth continued. "We all know that Gramps founded Mutopia in the ruins left behind by other, and we've all worked hard to make sure that we could live a good life there. We're used to salvage and recycle what others throw away, and we can do that here too if we really set our minds to it. We can fix this, we can make this work, we can make this… home."

"Home… it's only been a few days, but I really miss it." said Amber. "And I'm not too fond of just wandering around like nomads, so having a place to call home would really lift a weight from my heart."

"I think that goes for most of us." said Monalisa. "And I do think that we can make this place our new home, just like Tyroth said."

"Let's put it to a vote then." said Leonardo, turning to the group and asking in a loud voice. "Anyone who thinks that we should try to live here, raise your hand."

It was easy to see that all of the people raised their hands, and as such the decision was made.

"Alright then, that means we have a lot of work ahead of us." said Tyroth, his smile never leaving his lips. "There was a large building at the plaza of the village, I think it was an inn or tavern, if we focus on that first, we can use that as a place to eat and sleep while we work on the rest of the village."

"The village… I wonder what it was called when people lived here." Leona wondered out aloud.

"We'll probably find out sooner or later." said Percy. "But I actually think that we should give this place a new name regardless."

"That's probably the smartest thing I've heard you say in a long time." said Kate.

"So what are we gonna call this place?" asked Michelangelo. "I'm sure I can think of a few names, but I'm also sure most of those will earn me a slap from Raph."

"If an old rat may share his thoughts on the matter, I have got one suggestion." Splinter said, gaining the attention of everyone. "Since this village is about to be reborn, I say that we, in honour of the home we lost, rename it Mutopia."

Cheers of agreement echoed throughout the village, as the new inhabitants adopted it as their new sanctuary, their new Mutopia.

Their new home.

**And with that, our heroes have finally found a place where they can stay, so things are starting to look up for them. But who or what attacked the village before, and will the same thing happen again? Who knows.**

**And new to the cast is Alice the Chinchilla, yet another background character that gets a bit of spotlight, maybe she and the rest will get more in the future.**

**Anything mentioning Skyrim here is a reference to both that game and world, and another of my stories; 'Mutants Misplaced'.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Day One, Part 1**

After entering the inn, the Mutopians spent the better part of the rest of the day cleaning it, moving furniture aside and setting up a sort of base camp in the main hall, and while it had several rooms both on the ground floor and the second floor, it was decided that they would all stay in the hall during the nights, so that they could all keep an eye on each other, at least until they had secured other accommodations.

Louie the Cockroach was the first to enter the large kitchen in the back, and nearly had a heart attack at the sight of all the dust and traces of vermin. It would take him a long time to get it clean enough to even consider cooking in it, but he was determined to do just that.

Luckily, the larder that was the cellar of the inn seemed to have survived better than the kitchen, and there were about half a dozen large wooden barrels down there, but what they contained, if anything at all, was something they had to investigate later.

For the time, they would have to be happy with having roof over their heads for the night, even if it was quite crowded in the inn. The real work would start the next day.

* * *

"Man, this night reminded me of when my High School class were on a study trip and we had to sleep in the dining hall of the hotel because they had double booked us." Tania the Panda said as she and the others exited the inn, stretching her aching body. "Didn't sleep very well that time either."

"Depending on how much work we got ahead of us, you'll probably sleep like a log the coming nights." said Leona. "So how about we get started already?"

"I agree, the sooner we start, the sooner we can turn this place into a proper home." said Tyroth before addressing everyone. "Okay, listen up! Before we start, let's all be clear on a few things. First, no one goes anywhere alone. The place may be abandoned, but there could still be dangers, so form groups and stay together as you explore, and also make sure that at least one of the group is someone that can fight, be it a Knight or a Ninja. Second, we meet back here again by high noon. Third, if you find something that seems magical, don't mess around with it.

And lastly, be careful, no matter how things look."

The assembled people all agreed to these terms, they were simple and understandable enough, and then split up in a few groups that spread out to explore the village, though some remained by the inn, namely Tyroth, Freya, Leonardo, Splinter, George and Devina.

"You two stay here and take it easy." Tyroth said to the two elder mutants, Splinter and George. "Let us younger ones do the heavy work here."

"Are you certain, Tyroth?" Splinter asked with a raised eyebrow. "I can't speak for George, but I still have some strength left in this old body."

"I don't doubt that for a second, master Splinter. But both of you have already done so much for all of us, so now it's our turn to to do something for you, and build us our new home. We have to look after our leaders after all. And I wouldn't mind if you could keep an eye on Louie while you're here."

The dragon gestured towards the back of the inn, from where they could already hear the cockroach cursing at all the filth.

"And you don't have to do all by yourselves, I'll stay here and keep you company." said Devina. "I don't do too well in the sun anyway, so I'd rather be here and keep watch. Need to protect our base and all."

"We appreciate the thought, miss Devina." said George with a smile.

"Oh, please, George, no need for the 'miss', just Devina is fine." the hybrid said with the faintest of blushes on her pale skin. "After all, I am more than twice your age."

"Something that I keep forgetting, unlike my manners."

"I think you'll all have a calm morning then." said Tyroth. "But the rest of us still have work to do, so we'd better be off."

"Hey, dad, can I go with you?" Freya asked, to which the Dragon smiled.

"Of course you can, my little Valkyrie."

"Yes!" Freya cheered, punching her fist into the air. "Let's go! I want to find hidden treasures!"

"I'm sure we'll find something that we can call a treasure." the dragon chuckled, then he turned to Leonardo. "You coming, Leo?"

"Actually, I think I'll stay here. I have a few things I'd like to talk with master Splinter about, and it wouldn't be fair to Devina to let her guard them all by herself."

"Always the gentleman." Devina said, causing Leonardo to blush just a little.

"If that's what you want to do, then go ahead." Tyroth said. "Though to be honest, I would have thought that you'd want to follow Kemeko's group."

"I won't deny that I want to keep an eye on her, but she's old enough not to require me watching her like a hawk, besides, we've trained her well and she's not alone, so I'm confident that she'll be safe."

"Then we'll see you all for lunch." Tyroth said, and he and Freya took to the sky with their strong wings.

Once the two reached a good height, they looked down at the village below them and the lands around it. With all the fields and farmlands surrounding it, the area of the village was easily four or five times the size of Central Park, some six or seven square miles, though the actual settlement only covered a small part of that.

From the forests in the Northwest, there ran a river that snaked its way through the village, originating from a large lake past the forest and providing the village with freshwater before ending in the large body of water that the village bordered to in the east. That water reached as far as they could see in most of the eastern direction, with what seemed like a few islands on the horizon.

Looking back at the village, they saw the inn by the village plaza, a large round area covered with the same paving stones as the roads, and in the centre grew a large spruce tree. Five stone bridges allowed one to cross the river in different areas of the village.

Taking a closer look at the various buildings, and some time to count, one saw that there were nearly a hundred wooden buildings with stone foundations. The vast majority of these were smaller single and two-story houses, the outermost also having what seemed like barns or stables, with a handful of larger two-story among them as well, and finally there were several far larger buildings scattered among them, such as the inn and two other around the plaza, though the inn still dwarfed them.

Another building, almost the same size as the inn was built on a small hilltop, and looked almost like a small mansion. There were also a few larger buildings closer to the coast, including one right next to the dock and one on the dock itself, most likely a boathouse or fishery.

"So many houses, even though Chicago was huge, this place feels really big to." Freya said, her gaze moving from one building to the next.

"I know what you mean. Back in Chicago, everything sort of blended together, but here… it's so very different." Tyroth said. "So where do you want to go first?"

Freya held her chin as she thought, looking at all the groups that were spreading out throughout the village, before her eyes stopped on one particular building.

"That one, dad!" she exclaimed, pointing at the building on the small hill. "There's treasure there! I can feel it in my gut."

"Then let's go, kid."

* * *

Opening the doors, the father and daughter walked inside the building, finding themselves in a big hall with two doors on their left and one on their right, as well as set of stairs in the far back, but otherwise the room was empty.

"This was a whole lot of nothing. I was sure there would be something here." Freya said.

"It's just the first room, Freya, we may still have some luck with the others."

Checking the room on the right, they found what looked like a meeting room, complete with a large table and chairs, but little else.

Going over to the left side, the first room turned out to be a small library, the walls being covered in bookshelves, though they were next to empty, with only about a dozen books remaining. Taking one of the books from the shelves, Tyroth began flipping through the pages.

"We're in luck, the written language is English in this world too, so it should be the spoken one too." he said.

"Isn't that strange, dad? I mean, it's like it's a cartoon, a comic or a game, where almost everyone speaks English, no matter who or what."

"Trust me, I find it hard to believe too, but the same happened when your mother, Mona, the turtles and I were sent to Skyrim. They spoke English there too, though the dragons, and a few undead, spoke the same tongue as our dragons used to. And remember the stories the turtles told us, about how they were sent through space, and every alien there spoke English too?"

"I do, yeah, and Uncle Donnie thought that they got some kind of, what did he call it… a universal translation effect, during the teleportation, which allowed them to understand the aliens, or most of them at least. Or the aliens had translators, one or the other."

"And I would almost bet that the talisman did something similar, but not necessarily for all languages, in this case probably only the one called Common in DnD, but that remains to see."

"Still don't understand how it works. If I write something in English to me, something I know how it looks and feels when I write it, someone here shouldn't be able to read it just because we have some magical effect that allow us to hear and read their language, right?"

"I honestly don't know, pumpkin. I'm not sure we understand enough to even ask the right questions about this, but if we can properly commune with people here, then I'll be satisfied with that."

"I suppose you're right, dad, like you always are."

"Not always, Freya. Everyone makes mistake, even I." Tyroth said, putting back the book. "Come on, there are still more rooms to check."

* * *

The second room on the left, the one furthest in, had a couple of wooden cabinets against the walls and a large desk with a chair in the middle, facing the door. Some parchments, quills and ink pots lay on the desk told of the room's purpose as either an office or a study.

Inside the cabinets were some basic supplies for the room, including a pair of blank books, but as with the rest of what they had seen so far, there seemed to be a lot missing, either taken when the former inhabitants left or stolen some time after that.

* * *

With the bottom floor checked, the father and daughter walked up the stairs to the next floor, and found a hallway ending in a combined living room/kitchen, where the fireplace severed as a cooking station as well, it had a large table with chairs, as well as a couch and a few side tables.

To the side were three doors, and each of the two closest to the stairs led to a small room with a bed, a chest of drawers, a chair and a small table, while the door farthest away lead to a far larger room, which held a large queen size bed, cabinets, tables, chairs and chests.

With how simple the small rooms, especially compared to the larger room, it seemed like they were meant for servants, while the large one belonged to the former master of the house. This were further implied by the few remaining clothes in the rooms, with the ones in the small rooms looking more simple and bland compared to the ones from the larger room, which did have more details and colour, fitting of someone of higher standing.

* * *

"Seems like it's almost high noon now." Tyroth said, looking at the height of the sun as he and Freya exited the house. "Hopefully, Louie will have some lunch ready soon. I should probably give him a hand if there is still some to do."

"I guess..." Freya sighed.

"What's the matter, sweetheart? Disappointed that we didn't find any treasures?"

"Yeah… I was hoping for something to bring back and show Mom, to give to her. A necklace, a bracelet, even a coin would have done, but we didn't find anything like that, even though we looked so thoroughly."

"If I were to guess, I'd say that the people that lived here took all their valuables with them when they left. But there are still plenty of houses left to check, we may still find something that they forgot."

"I hope so, Dad. I really want to find something for Mom. But what should we do with this house? It's like a mansion, a small mansion."

"I don't know. I think it might have been the village hall, so maybe we can use it for that as well. We'll bring it up with the others later, so let's head back for now, then we can keep looking."

"Okay!"

**This seems like a good place to stop, since this is starting to get a bit long, but that's what you get with all this world building, even if it was just for a single village, and we're not even done yet. Next time, and possibly the time after that, we'll see what the rest of the Mutopians have done during the time Tyroth and Freya turned the mansion upside down.**

**See you all then. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Day One, Part 2**

While Tyroth and Freya were off exploring on their own, the others had formed groups that spread out across the village.

One such group consisted of Donatello, Heather, Sonia, Pandora, Leona, Hacker, and Chloe the Butterfly, and was investigating the buildings that had been damaged by fire.

"I don't see what we're doing in these burned husks of houses." said Chloe as the group stood in he burned half of a house. "I mean, there's, like, nothing of value left here."

"Maybe not to you, Chloe, but to me, this is almost like a cross section." said Leona, taking a closer look at the remaining support beams in the roof. "By looking at what remains, I can see more than if I was to only check an untouched house, and then I might be able to repair what can be saved."

"You're with buildings like I'm with gadgets." said Donatello. "But since we have no gadgets here, I'll try my best to help you with that. And I think that we can salvage at least ninety percent of what remains of this house to repair others with."

"Think you can build something like a tower on one house, Uncle Donnie?" Pandora asked. "'Cause I'd totally want to have my room up in a tower."

"No guaranties, little Geisha." Donatello chuckled. "But with how many houses there are in the village, we could easily get one house each as our own if we wanted to."

"That would be something, but wouldn't it be better if we try to stick together?" asked Heather. "I mean, if everyone takes one house for themselves, we might get very spread out quickly."

"I agree with Heather." said Sonia. "If we're supposed to defend people, it would be easier if we're all close together."

"Sounds like we'll be choosing room-mates soon then." said Pandora. "But won't the other houses go to waste then?"

"We'll just have to figure out something." said Leona.

"And it's completely possible that other people will find their way here eventually." said Donatello. "Since we're going to live out in the open now, we can't really avoid interacting with the rest of the world forever."

"Wonder what kind of people we meet first." Sonia pondered.

"I'll bet my desert that it'll be an elf." said Pandora.

"Whatever it'll be, they'll sure be in for a surprise." said Hacker as he kept rummaging through ashes, charcoal and rubble. "Well, if you guys are done here soon, I'm okay with us moving on to another place."

* * *

Moving on, they continued to check more houses and buildings, especially the damaged ones, but once they were done with those, they found themselves by a larger building, positioned roughly halfway between the plaza and the docks.

"Okay, this door needs fixing. Wonder if it's the hinges." Leona said, having just been able to open the front door.

"Our to-do list keeps growing." said Chloe. "At least this place isn't a complete ruin."

"What is this place?" Heather asked, as she and the others took in the surroundings, exploring it as they went on.

They were in a large, open room with many tables and stools, a counter near the wall farthest in, a door behind it and a stair case next to it.

"Another inn? Could it really work with two inns in a town this size?" asked Sonia.

"I don't think this is an inn." said Pandora, who had walked behind the counter. "I think it's a bar, look what I found."

She presented a couple of bottles that she had found behind the counter, followed shortly by some wooden cups and metal flagons.

"Bottles." Hacker said and picked them up. "Empty bottles. Just our luck."

"It's definitively a bar then." said Donatello. "Close enough to both the docks and the centre of the town to serve anyone. The door probably leads to a store room of some sort, and the stairs should lead to a place for the owner to live."

"You are not wrong, Donnie." said Heather as she floated down the stairs. "There is a small room up here with the basic furniture. Bed, table, chair, drawers, an old stove. Everything you would need to live up there."

"And this room is filled with shelves, normal and those for bottles." said Pandora as she opened the door and looked inside. "But it's all empty."

"I wonder how this place looked when it was still open. It must have been quite the sight." said Chloe.

"It can be again." said Leona. "The wood still seems good, and I haven't spotted anything in need of repair, other than the door."

"So we're gonna have a bar? Do we really need that?" asked Sonia.

"Maybe not, but I think we should have one anyway." said Hacker.

"What do you mean, Hacker?"

"Look, it's not like I can do much around here with my skills. Sure, back home I had plenty to do, computers, programming, security, internet, all of that, but here? Unless you're all okay with me just juggling, I don't think I can help with that much, I'm not very fit or skilled with tools."

"And you think you can handle a bar instead?" said Chloe.

"Well, it's not I'll have much to mix drinks with right now, but I'll probably learn a thing or two as I go on. And I can keep an ear out for gossip from any guests we might have as well, similar to back home."

"It will be like your own world wide web then." said Pandora. "Why not call the place that? The Web."

"That's actually not a bad name, I like it." said the spider with a big smile.

"Do I get a prize for it?"

"Um…" the spider scratched his head and looked around. "I can give you a cup of water, I think that's about it."

"That's just as good, she isn't old enough to drink yet anyway." said Donatello. "But unless I'm mistaken, it's almost time to meet up back at the inn, so we'd better head back. We can ask the others about your idea over lunch, Hacker."

* * *

Another group, consisting of Sephie, Loki, Sarah, James, Erica, Richard and Barry, had just entered a building that was built close to the river in the half of the village that was closest to the beach, and it was very clear what it was used for.

"It's a blacksmith." Richard said as they saw the smelter, grinding wheel, workbench and forge that stood to the side of the building, in a room that lacked one wall, giving it an open area to work in.

"Cool. This I want to check out." said Loki, and opened the door to the main part of the building, the storeroom and shop. "Sweet. There are still some stuff left. Tools, metal ingots, pieces of what might be armours, leather pieces, everything that one needs to make something here."

"You've always had a fascination with metal crafting." said Sephie. "I don't know how many times that I've found you in the workshop, either watching Rattletrap work or testing the tools for yourself. I'm just glad that you understood that you aren't supposed to do things the same way as Rattletrap."

"Yeah, he makes more than enough mistakes for the rest of us." said Sarah.

"Well, you all did warn me from an early age." Loki said with a slightly sheepish smile. "But if we can get this place running again, I'm sure that I can forge us what we need."

"You know that much about smithing, Loki?" Erica asked. "I've seen you tinker with a few things, but not anything like that."

"Well, not exactly, Grandma, but I've listened to Uncle Leo's story, about how he forged his swords after his old ones were lost, more times than I can count, and I'm sure that he can give me some pointers too."

"I sure hope you know what you claim, kid." said Barry as he picked up a woodcutter axe, which had several spots of rust. "'Cause I think we're gonna need it, and I sure can't smith to save my life."

"Why are you so intent on learning how to smith?" James asked. "Don't get me wrong, I think it's good skill to have, I'm just wondering where the interest comes from."

"Real ninja made their own weapons and equipment, and I aspire to be the best ninja possible, so I want to learn all aspects of the ninja way, including smithing."

"I see. Well, let's hope that you are successful. I, on the other hand, don't really know how I will do here. With such a limited supply of our healing water, you'd think that I'd have more to do, but I'm not sure just how much I can do with our limited medical supplies, and the healing arts in the medieval times were… both primitive and ineffective, for the most part at least."

"Guess you'll have to be the one to update this place then." Sarah said, giving the chimpanzee a pat on the shoulder. "Show them what a real doctor can do."

"You get me the equipment I need, and I can do that. But without the ability to make the right medications and tools, there is precious little that I can do that the doctors of this world can't. That said, however, I'll keep doing my best."

"Like always, doc." said Barry. "You've always kept us in one piece over the years, and every Mutopian knows that they can trust you to keep doing it. Water or no water."

The chimpanzee doctor couldn't help but smile at the trust his comrades had in him, despite that Mutopians rarely needed medical attention.

But who knew how things would turn out from here on out.

* * *

On the outskirts of the northern side of the village, there was one building that was a little off on its own. It didn't look anything special, just a standard broad, one story house, and the inside raised more questions, as there were several large, empty wooden frames in one corner, large vats, tubs and barrels, and a few wooden gantries with long poles.

Michelangelo scratched his head as he, Kate, Percy, Kemeko, Vincent, Alice and Nick the Frog investigated the inside.

"Um… anyone know what this place is?" the orange-masked turtle asked the others.

"Sorry, but I got no idea." said Vincent. "But it has to have been used for some form of production, but what?"

"Maybe they made frames, for paintings and such. There are a few frames over here." said Alice.

"What kind of frame factory needs vats this size?" said Nick the Frog. "I, for one, ain't making any sense of this place."

"Hey, guys… I think I know what it is." said Percy.

"For real? I find that hard to believe." said Kate.

"Now, I'm not sure, but it reminds me of something I saw on TV once, one of those history channels. I'll admit, I wasn't fully invested in the program, but I think this might be one of those places where you dye fabrics, or make leather, one or the other, or maybe both."

"Now that you mention it, I think you might be right." said Kemeko. "I mean, it feels like it makes sense. The vats, the frames, everything, it has to have been used for something like that."

"I bet that we could use this." said Nick. "But is there anyone of us that knows how to do any of that?"

"I'm not sure, though I can't speak for the others, but I sure can't." said Vincent. "It took me almost fifteen years before I could tie my own shoes."

"My skills don't really apply to something like this either." said Alice. "But I'm sure that Tania should be able to do something here."

"Dyeing fabrics perhaps, but I don't think even she knows how to make leather. Whatever the case, I'm sure she'll love to get hold of whatever that is produced here." said Kate. "And I wouldn't mind having her make something off leather for me."

"You can ask her once we get back." said Michelangelo. "And speaking of which, I say that we head back to the inn now. I'm starving."

As the group headed back, Michelangelo lagged behind a bit, together with Kate.

"Hey, just out of curiosity, what would you want Tania to make for you?" he whispered to her.

"Oh, nothing special. I was just thinking of maybe getting a leather bikini." she whispered back with a smirk, making the turtle blush.

"O-oh, r-really? W-well, that's fine. Is it getting hot here?"

**Finally done with this chapter. Man did it take time to get together. It also didn't help that I got a new job while working on this, or that the Pokémon games released, but I don't mind those things, other than that I don't have time for everything.**

**There will be at least one more of these 'Day One'-chapters before moving on to other events, just so that I've managed to build the village to the degree that I want. **

**Hope to see you all soon.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Day One, Part 3**

Down by the beach, the group made up of Amber, Jake, Sharky, April, Casey, Bill and Rose the Lynx, walked along the wooden docks, occasionally looking out across the waters, towards the horizon.

"Do you think this village relied a lot on trading, or maybe shipments from across the sea?" Jake asked.

"A little, maybe." said April. "But with how much farmland there is around here, I think they used to be self-sufficient, or at least mostly so."

"I can't help but wonder if we're on an island. A big island." said Rose the Lynx.

"Who really knows, Rose." said Bill. "And regardless, we got access to a whole lot of water to fish in. All we need is a boat and nets. Or a fishing rod at least."

"Speaking of boats, I can't see any around here." said Casey. "Think the people left in them?"

"I wouldn't have if I were them." said Amber, looking first at the horizon, and then at the signs of the attack on the wood of the dock. "If the ones that attacked the village came from the water, that's not where I would go to escape them."

"Good point. Then there might just be one or two around here somewhere."

"How about we just check that boathouse over there. It is a boathouse, right?" said Sharky, pointing at a building built on the dock, with a large double door just above the water surface.

Opening the door to the suspected boathouse, they saw that it was indeed a boathouse, one large enough to hold a couple of smaller boats, and docked in the water in the middle was just one such boat.

It was large enough to be handled by two or three people, and was probably just a small fishing-ship, however, it had sustained damage at some point, most of them minor things, but the worst was that its mast had been broken off, one half laying on the floor of the boathouse.

"Well, there's out boat." said Bill. "But I wouldn't say that it's in shipshape."

"We can still use it." said Jake. "If we can just get some oars, we don't really need the sail."

"Then we can use it to fish further out, and with that we should get enough food to survive here." said Amber. "Even if we have to work the farms as well."

"Not too different from what we used to do." said Rose. "Just on a bigger scale."

"I can help with the fishing, being able to breathe in water and all." Sharky suggested. "I'll just dive right in and grab a few fishes, rinse and repeat all day, every day."

"Kind of you to offer, Sharky, but you won't have to do that all alone." said April. "I'm pretty sure that between me, Donnie and Leona, we'll be able to fix up the boat and help you."

"I volunteer to **not** fish." said Casey. "I've always had terrible luck with fishing. Once, when I was a kid, my dad took me fishing, and I managed to hook my own pants when throwing out the line, and pulled myself into the water. Dad couldn't stop laughing after he fished me out of the water."

"Ha-ha!" the duck chuckled. "I've done almost the same, but I hooked a friend of mine instead of myself. Man, he didn't even know what happened."

"At least try not to do anything like that, you two. We'll need that food." said Amber, who had found a large chest and cabinet, which she opened. "And here we got the tools for it. A couple of rods and nets, even oars."

"That's great." said Jake. "We've been quite lucky so far, let's hope it lasts, and that the others have as good luck."

"Wonder how they are doing? Especially Patch's group, I think they were planning on checking out the farms, or something." said Rose. "That would put them the on the outskirts of the village, towards the forest. If anything from the woods has decided to move into the village, that's where we'd be most likely to run into… whatever it might be."

"I'm sure they're fine." said Sharky. "With the whole lot of us moving in yesterday, I don't think anything is still around here."

"Well, now that we know what we got here, let's head back to the village square for a while." said April. "Saw a building there on the way through the village yesterday that I'd like to have a closer look at."

* * *

Heading back through the village, to the western half of it, the group soon saw the building that April had spotted the day before. It was a slightly larger, two-story building, positioned next to a part of the river where the water formed a small two foot waterfall, the sound of which gave a sense of calmness.

"This is the place, huh?" asked Sharky. "Can't see what sets it apart from the rest of the houses around here."

"It was just something about it that caught my attention. I don't know what, but I do know that I want to investigate it." April responded.

"Well, let's head in and have a look then." said Jake.

However, unlike so many other buildings that had been explored so far, this one had its door locked. Luckily, they quickly found the key underneath a stone by the corner of the building, slightly rusted on the edges, but still in working order.

The inside of the building was taken up by two large rooms, the first being open with many shelves along the walls, a few smaller tables in the middle and a counter next to a door that lead to the other room, a slightly small where even more shelves stood along the wall, with a staircase leading up to the second floor, which was a living area, similar to an apartment above a business.

On every shelf in both rooms, there were some leftover items that the former inhabitants didn't take with them. Everything from tools and clothes, to simple decorations and accessories.

Seeing all this, April's eyes almost beamed.

"I knew it!" she said with glee. "This used to be a shop. I felt it in my bones."

"You seem to have a sixth sense for shops, honey." Casey said, taking a quick glance around before letting his gaze stop on his wife. "And if I know you right, you want to get your own shop going here again."

"You got that right. We had to leave so quickly that my own shop, Second Time Around, was just left as it was. I really hope that the shop doesn't cause any trouble for any of my relatives when they learn that I'm missing, and that in of itself is another issue."

"I'm really sorry for you, April, but you and Casey could have stayed behind instead, it would have made things a lot easier for all of you." Amber said sympathetically.

"It's alright, Amber, we didn't want to loose all of you, you're our friends after all. And besides, it could have been so much worse if we would have stayed."

"No kidding." said Casey. "The Foot know who we are, and they've already found us once before. If they couldn't find the turtles, they would come looking for us again."

"I still blame myself for when Arden tortured me into telling him where the old lair was." April said, still clearly feeling a great amount of shame for the even years ago.

"Well, I don't blame you, but I understand the feeling." said Amber. "I know first hand just what the Foot are capable of."

"As do I." said Jake.

"Alright, not to sound insensitive, but that's enough doom and gloom, guys." said Bill. "All of that is in the past now, time to move on."

"Bill's right. We're here, the Foot's back on Earth, they can never get to any of us now." said Rose. "Let them look all they want, all they'll get are grey hairs."

"You're right. We don't have to worry about them any more." said April. "We got other things to focus on instead."

"Like getting your shop up and running." said Sharky. "I loved looking around in your old place whenever I visited New York."

"I noticed that, Sharky, and don't worry, I'll give you a small discount on opening day." April said with a smile, to which Sharky grinned. "But I'm not sure if I should keep the name for the shop or give a new one to this, since I'll probably have to sell more than just used things."

"What even is the name of this shop to begin with? Does it even have a name?" Casey wondered.

"I think I saw a plaque of some kind on the wall outside. I'll have a quick look." said Jake, and walked outside.

"It says 'Strumcoast Surplus'."

"Strumcoast, so that's the name of the village too, I suppose." said Rose. "Sounds weird to me, but I guess it is foreign to us."

"Whatever the case, we'll put this village on the map as Mutopia from now on." said Bill. "And then this place will be the Mutopia Surplus."

"Not a bad suggestion," said April, holding her chin in thought. "but I was thinking of something a little different. The Mutopian Supplies. It's close to your suggestion, but still different. But I'll give it all a thought before deciding."

"Sounds good to me. And so would lunch right about now. How about we head back and report in?" said Sharky.

"A good idea. I'm sure my brother and the others will want to know what we found so far." said Amber.

* * *

Meanwhile, Patch's group, which consisted of Raphael, Monalisa, Jack, Cam, Tania and Moe, was very much busy investigating the nearby farms, as well as the fruit-bearing trees and bushes and small garden plantations of various vegetables.

"Looks like we got a field of potatoes here." said Patch, having dug a hole in the ground to examine the plant growing there. "These on the edge are still pretty small, but given how big this bush is, the rest should be good and big."

"We just have to clear out all the weeds first." said Cam, looking at the overgrown fields around them. "I'm surprised that they haven't suffocated the crops yet."

"I guess everything was pretty well kept before the people left. And if all the other farm areas are like this one, we should be fine when it comes to food. Especially if there are fruits as well, and I think I saw what looked like an orchard when we came here."

"We sure are lucky to have someone like you, Patch." said Monalisa.

"Aw, chucks. That's very kind of you, but believe it or not, I didn't really know anything about tending crops before I joined Mutopia. Never had an interest in it."

"Really? You could have fooled me, with how much time you spent in the greenhouse." said Raphael.

"I needed something to do, and they needed someone that could take responsibility for the greenhouse, so I thought I might as well try. Turns out though, that I had natural green thumbs, so I kept at it until it became my passion. And thanks to Hacker, I was able to get so much more information from sites, blogs and forums on the internet, and well, here I am now."

"Everyone finds something that they're good at." said Tania, as she, Moe and Jack exited the house that laid next to the potato field, the latter holding either tools or clothes that they had found indoors.

"Yeah, and Jack's really tubular at sniffing out things." said the mole.

"Might as well put this schnoz to use." Jack responded with a shrug, pointing at his nose. "And just as the other houses we've checked so far, there's stuff left behind."

"Especially clothes." Tania said, picking up a short, red tunic that Moe was carrying, feeling the fabric between her fingers.

"I can't wait to start working with these, once I've gotten a good look at the style of the clothes here. Don't want us to stick out too much, and you guys have the right idea." she said pointing at Raphael and Monalisa.

"It doesn't feel like it." Raphael mumbled. "This damned outfit is still uncomfortable and it itches. I can't stand the thought of having to wear it for who knows how long."

"That's enough, hun." Monalisa said calmly. "It's not going to get any better by complaining about it, and like in Skyrim, we don't want to cause a scene due to being underdressed."

"And don't worry," Tania cut in. "just give me some time, and I'll make an outfit for you that I'm almost positive that you'll like."

"No offence, but I'll believe that when I see it."

"Anyway..." Cam said, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere. "From what I've seen so far, pretty much every single house we've see so far has a small shed with firewood, so we'll be fine on that point for a while, but we will have to get more sooner or later."

"You know what has me worried?" Jack said. "Winter. Sure it's warm now, but who knows if it will stay that way all year round. What if we do get winter here, and it's harsher than back on Earth."

"Oh man, that's totally not rad." said Moe. "Back there, we could just hang out down under, where the cold couldn't touch us, but here… We're in a major pickle, mans."

"Not to mention food." said Monalisa, thinking about what to do. "It may seem like we got more than enough to survive here, but if winter is a thing here, we won't be able to grow any food part of the year. We will have to put away food for that, stockpile it."

"Best to take this up with the others." said Tania. "Someone is bound to have an idea on how to do it."

"Great suggestion, Tania." said Patch. "And if we're done here, it might be time to head back."

* * *

Meanwhile, one lone member of Mutopia was off on his own, since no one had really noticed that he had wandered off, and that someone was Rattletrap.

While the others were exploring the village, he had turned his sights to the north, to the mountain, and as he reached the foot of it, he saw a cave entrance.

"I knew I'd get lucky scoping out this area." the rat said to himself. "Let's see just what kind of loot I can score in there."

Fashioning a makeshift torch from a thick branch, some dry grass and twigs, Rattletrap pulled out a lighter from his pocket.

"Good thing I kept a few of these on me. Not everyone of us is a Bear Grylls, or a fire breathing dragon."

With his burning torch in hand, Rattletrap walked into the cave, letting the light from the flames illuminate the path, witch was completely straight and almost clean of stalagmites, stalactites and rocks that jutted out from the walls, while it had a high ceiling, almost three meters.

"This is one strange cave. Must've been dug out by someone… or something. But most likely someone, not something, can't be."

After a few minutes, Rattletrap reached a larger room, unevenly shaped as far as he could tell, with a few new pathways continuing deeper into the mountain. But by now, his torch was starting to flicker, as it was almost burnt out, and it illuminated far less than it had done on his way in.

"Damn cheap-ass torch! I haven't even seen all of this room yet! How am I gonna find anything of value if I can't see what's in front of my nose?!"

As the rat cursed over his failing equipment, he failed to notice that he wasn't alone in the cave. It wasn't until he heard heavy footsteps behind him that he stopped and realised it. Feeling a warm breath of something behind him, all the hairs on the back of his stood on end, and even more so when he heard a loud growl.

Slowly and shaking, he turned around and held up the remainder of his torch to see what had found him, and what he saw made he let out a tiny, tiny squeak.

"...zoinks…"

**And that should be the last 'Day One' part, unless... no, no 'unless', next chapter will have a different title, it must.**

**Anyway, eagle-eyed readers should have noticed that the resident disaster that is Rattletrap wasn't in any group, and the answer to that, as you saw, is that he went off on his own, and nobody noticed. But now he's gotten himself in some resious trouble, and just what kind of creature has he come across?  
Make your guess in the reviews, and let's hope he survives until next time.  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Hunting Season**

"What do you mean 'there's no lunch'?" Percy asked loudly as he and the others stood in the inn, all hungry.

"Exactly what I said. There's no lunch. I haven't made any lunch." Louie said strictly, standing in the doorway to the kitchen.

"But why?" asked Kemeko.

"Have you seen the mess in the kitchen? All the dirt, dust and… unmentionables? No way I'm cooking anything in that! I've spent the last four hours trying to clean the kitchen, and it's still not enough to even have a glass of water in!"

"Fair enough, but what are we gonna eat?" asked Jack, his stomach growling.

"There's still some fresh food, vegetables and such that we brought here, feel free to take that. You can start a fire outside if you want to roast anything."

"Think you'll be able to make us dinner at least?" Bill asked.

"Maybe, but I'm not making any promises. However, if any of you would like to help me clean, we might just be done before then."

"Don't worry, Louie. I'll give you a hand." Tyroth offered.

"Much appreciated."

"Hey, is it just me, or is there something missing here?" said Cam.

"No, you're right, there **is** something missing, and it's not the food." said Barry.

"Yeah, it's… I think it's a certain degree of… whining." said Rose.

"Whining? Hold on a moment." said Tyroth, as he did a quick head count, and he quickly came to a conclusion. "Where is Rattletrap?"

"Uh-oh..." the others said almost in unison. The thought of the troublemaking rat being off on his own didn't sit well with them.

But they quickly got an answer to his whereabouts.

"Heee-eeelp!" Rattletrap's voice echoed from the outside, somewhere in the distance.

"Speak of the devil." Raphael said. "Wonder what he's done now."

A loud roar followed shortly, accompanied by heavy footsteps, also in the distance.

"What the hell was that?!" Sephie exclaimed, and everyone hurried outside to see what was going on, and they didn't believe their eyes.

* * *

Shortly after they had exited the inn, they saw Rattletrap running among the houses to the north, faster than he had ever done before, pale as a sheet and with terror in his eyes, and right on his tail was what was chasing him.

A giant, bipedal lizard with brown, tough-looking scales and ridges above its eyes, sharp claws on its feet and hands, and a large mouth filled with even sharper teeth.

"A DINOSAUR!?" people exclaimed, recoiling at the mere sight of the almost three metres tall and eight metres long reptile.

Another roar echoed throughout the village, accompanied by another cry for help from the running rat. Shaking off the shock, Tyroth instinctively leaped into action, taking to the air and heading straight against the beast.

The dinosaur was beginning to close in on the rat mutant, but its hunt was interrupted when Tyroth shoulder-tackled it on the side of the head. While it stumbled quite a lot from the sudden impact, it didn't fall over, but its attention was shifted from the rat to the red dragon.

As Tyroth landed some metres away, the dinosaur looked at him and growled loudly before roaring and charging at him. The massive jaws snapped at Tyroth, but he quickly sidestepped the attack and delivered a powerful punch to the side of its face.

Despite the punch, the dinosaur lashed back with its head, trying again to sink its teeth into Tyroth, but missed several times as the dragon kept jumping out of the way, taking what opportunities he got to attack again, whether that was by punching, kicking, or even a quick whip from the tail.

But eventually, there came an attack that Tyroth couldn't dodge, and he stared right into the maw of the beast as it attempted to bite his head off. It took great strength, but Tyroth managed to catch the jaws of death and hold them open, even though the teeth pierced the flesh of his hands and the force pushed him backwards.

Noticing that it couldn't bite down, the dinosaur was about to pull back when Tyroth countered, by breathing fire into the gaping maw. The scorching flames burned the entire mouth and partway down the throat, and made the mighty beast recoil and roar in great pain, furiously shaking its head from side to side in a futile effort to get rid of what was causing it pain.

That gave Tyroth the opening he needed, and drawing his large sword, Ryujin, he lunged forward and drove it into the dinosaur's neck, piercing it all the way into the throat, and the pulled it out again. Blood poured out of the wound and mouth of the beast, as its painful roar was replaced by a choking gurgle, and it collapsed on the ground, twitching as life began to leave the large body.

Once the dinosaur finally stopped moving, Tyroth dared to move closer and poke it with the tip of his sword, and got no reaction.

"I think it's dead now, but we'd better keep our distance a little while longer, just in case." he said to the others as he backed away.

"Dude… I mean, I just… dude…" Michelangelo half stammered. "You killed a dinosaur!"

"I didn't even know there were dinosaurs here!" said Bill. "Why didn't anyone tell us?!"

"There's at least three different books on monsters and other creatures for the game, including angels, demons, extra dimensional entities, spirits, undead, and so on. Excuse me for failing to mention dinosaurs specifically." Tyroth responded. "Though, I never thought that dinosaurs would live in this region, I always imagined them preferring more tropical areas, like jungles."

"What do you think I thought!?" Rattletrap snapped, still trying to catch his breath.

"Are you okay?" James inquired. "No injuries or the like?"

"Other than being scared shitless, having my heart threatening to burst out of my chest, and almost being eaten, yeah I'm fine. Though, I could go for a new change of pants."

"I thought something smelled foul." said Vincent.

"Well you try to keep your bowels in check after coming face to face with a fucking dinosaur with too many, too sharp teeth!"

"Enough, Rattletrap." Tyroth said, trying to calm down the rat. "Take some time to recover… and clean up, then I'd like to know where you found your friend, among other things."

"No arguments from me."

"Just make sure you go downstream." said Louie. "I still need clean water to make the kitchen usable."

With was grumbling and cursing that Rattletrap headed to the beach to wash up, but there was one thing that he left behind for the others to deal with.

"Okay, so what do we do with that?" Sarah asked, pointing and the dinosaur corpse. "We can't just leave it like it is, it's gonna start to rot and stink if we do."

"But where can we bury it? The thing's massive." said Hacker.

"If I can come with a suggestion, I do have an idea." said Richard, which gained him the attention of all. "Not everyone is going to agree with me on this, but I think that we should harvest what we can from it."

"Harvest? You mean we should eat it?" Pandora asked. "Eat a dinosaur?"

"Basically, yeah." Richard continued. "I used to do some hunting back on Earth, and when our group managed to fell an animal, we made sure to let as little as possible go to waste, just like people used to do hundreds, and even thousands, of years ago."

"Like that bear-pelt you brought back almost thirty years ago." his wife, Erica, said. "I still can't believe you shot a bear of all things."

"It was either that, or let it eat one of the other hunters."

"Much like Tyroth killing this dinosaur." said Sharky. "Plus, I think choking to death on your own blood is a kinder way to die than what would follow if you actually ate Rattletrap."

"Jokes aside, I agree with Richard." said Donatello, taking a closer look at the dinosaur. "It would be wasteful not to harvest what we can from this animal. Now, I'm no expert on dinosaur physiology, but I would guess that this one weighs about two metric tons, and I think that about seventy percent of that is meat, skin and organs, so we'd get almost a ton and a half worth of food from it at most, and for all of you that didn't follow; that's a lot."

"If we can take care of it all." said Tyroth. "We don't have fridges and freezers here, and unless Devina is willing to constantly keep the meet frozen with her ice based magic, we will have to find a way to preserve it before it spoils."

"Actually, I got an idea for that." said Devina. "Sure I could use my magic in a pinch, or to give us more time to work on this, but there's another solution. I checked the barrels down in the cellar of the inn, and they were filled with salt, salt that we can use to treat the meat."

"Preserving with salt, excellent idea!" Donatello said, and his mind started working. "I don't think we'll be able to salt everything, but it will help us with a good portion of it. And there are other ways to preserve the meat too, such as smoking or drying it. If we do all of these things, I think we can save most of the meat."

"And we could use the skin too." said Nick, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "I mean, we did find what looked like a tannery. Surely we can use dinosaur skin to make leather too, right?"

"I don't see why not. They used to use crocodile and snake skin back on Earth." said Monalisa.

"And even fish skin, or so I've heard. But I guess skin is skin." said Bill.

"Then we need people working on this as soon as possible." said Tyroth. "Anyone skilled with blades, and that feels comfortable with it, is welcome to help skinning and cutting up this thing into manageable pieces that can be treated. And while we're at it, we need someone that knows what parts to keep to supervise it all."

"You mean organs, sinew and so on." James said, receiving a nod from Tyroth. "Well, I guess that falls to me then, since I am a doctor and all, though I must admit that my studies of anatomy never covered animals, especially not extinct ones."

"Just do your best, doc. That's all anyone's asking."

"Excuse me for asking this, but can we even eat a dinosaur?" Vincent asked. "And I don't mean ethically. We don't even know how it tastes."

"Does it matter? We need the food, and meat is meat." said Jack. "If it stands between eating weird meat and starving, I'll go for the meat nine out of ten times, even if it would be wolf meat."

"And as for how it will taste, you just let me worry about that." said Louie, rubbing his palms against each other. "Once we're done cutting up this thing, and the kitchen is clean, I'll do some tests with the meat, see what I got to work with."

"Alright everyone, that's enough standing around." Tyroth said, cracking his knuckles. "Grab something to eat if you're hungry, otherwise, we got work to do."

* * *

It took several hours, but through hard work and combined efforts, they successfully dealt with the dead body. It wasn't easy, but they managed to flay the massive body, resulting in a large amount of good quality skin that they would tan later.

With some pointers from both James and Louie, the meat of the body was cut and divided into various pieces, ranging from fillets and chops to breasts and hams, or the equivalents at the very least. The many organs inside the body were put aside for later, though Louie was pretty certain that after some proper cleaning and preparations, he could use them for food as well.

Sinew, teeth and claws were collected together with smaller bones that seemed to easy to turn into tools, or at least items they could use for trading with others. Though they would use all the bones for something, even the largest ones, as soon as they were properly handled.

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when the Mutopians were finished, though they still continued to work with treating large portions of the meat. Thin strips of meat hung from large racks that had been both found and constructed, left to dry in the warm weather.

Luck had continued to be on their side, as they had found a small smoke house on one of the outer farms, where they started to smoke a good chunk of the meat, also in thin strips, while most of the rest was put in the salt filled barrels in the inn's larder.

"We're gonna be eating this for months!" Barry said excitedly. "No worries about having to starve for us."

"And with all the crops we've got here, I think it will stay that way for quite some time." said Cam, giving Barry a fist-bump.

"I can't believe we were able to scrap next to everything of those huge bones." said Raphael as he washed his hands and sais in the stream. "And I can't believe that I actually used my weapons as kitchen utensils."

"Welcome to being a Mutopian." said Kate. "We've always had to use what we can find, and we can't afford to start being picky now."

"No, I guess you're right." Raphael said, putting his blades back in his belt. "Sure, we've scrounged and scavenged a few things back in New York, especially Donnie, but not on the same scale as you guys."

"And we got a whole lot more of that coming up, man." said Moe, giving Raphael a pat on the shoulder. "But I just know that we'll be able to turn this place into a really gnarly home."

* * *

Later that evening, once the kitchen was finally clean, the Mutopians were treated to a dish they had never tasted before, dinosaur and vegetable soup, and maybe it was the thought of a properly cooked meal that appealed to them, but it tasted better than they expected, a testament to Louie's skill as a chef.

But as the others enjoyed their meal, Leonardo approached Tyroth.

"Tyroth, could you come with me for a moment?" the blue-masked turtle asked, and the dragon obliged, following him to a room in the back of the inn, where he saw that Splinter and George were already waiting for them.

"Okay, now you've gotten me curious. What's up?" the dragon asked.

"Well, you see, my son, the three of us have been talking." George said, stroking his long white beard.

"And we have come to a decision." Splinter continued. "We want you to become our new leader."

"I'm sorry, what?!"

**Rattletrap survived, though I'm not sure the same can be said for his pants, but what do you expect if you run into an Allosaurus (smaller than a T-Rex with longer arms). But yeah, dinoaurs are a thing in DnD, but if there's something I've learned from palying another game, ARK, it's that they can give a lot of food and hides, something our heroes are taking advantage of.**

**And the elders really dropped a bomb on Tyroth at the end. What are your thoughts on that, and his for that matter?**

**I guess this will be the last update from me for this year, so let me wish you all a Happy New Year from my little dungeon! Cheers! :D**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**A New Leader**

"You want **me** to be the leader?!" Tyroth asked in disbelief, his eyes darting between Splinter, George and Leonardo.

"That is correct, Tyroth." the old rat said.

"And I thought the dinosaur was the biggest shock today." Tyroth muttered to himself, before turning back to the others. "What made you come to that conclusion? Why would you want me to lead?"

"Because it is because of you that we are all here, alive and well, far from our enemies." George explained. "It was you that suggested that we should leave Earth with the talisman. And ever since we got to this world, you have been telling people what to do. You have already been leading us for days, guiding us here, to our new home."

"We needed to stay focused. I simply made sure that we didn't loose track of our goal. That alone doesn't qualify my to be a leader."

"But you already are one." said Leonardo. "You've led the Chicago Knights for years, teaching them what you've learned, often the hard way, so that they would know how you act and react, how to help people."

"That's different. The Knights are only a small group that share my sense of justice, to a degree, but you're talking about me leading all of our people."

"And with good reason, too." said George. "It is no secret that I was against your acts as vigilantes, but I soon came to understand just how much good you and the others were doing, how much you wanted to spare other people the fate that has befallen many of us, and that alone proves that your heart is in the right place. And with how everyone else looks up to you, there was no question in my mind that you would keep the village together when I eventually would pass away."

"I share George's sentiment in the subject." said Splinter. "I, too, believe that you would make an excellent leader for your home, and will be one now for our new home."

"I was under the impression that Leo would take over after you, master Splinter." Tyroth said, then turning to said turtle. "Are you really okay with this?"

"It was actually I that suggested to them that you should lead, Tyroth." Leonardo answered, much to the surprise of the dragon. "I trust that you can lead my family just as well as I ever could, if not even better. Besides, it was you who leaped into action just now and took on a carnivorous dinosaur to save one of us. And that's not the only time you've done something similar."

"I'm just doing what needs to be done. I can't stand seeing people get hurt if I can help it, especially not when I got the power to do something to prevent it."

"And that is just why we think you should lead us." said George. "You protect us and are always willing to help with even small things. Not to mention that you know more about this world than any of us."

"But only from what I've read in the DnD books. There's no telling how many differences there might be, or what."

"Regardless, you're the only one that has read all the books, aside from Mikey of course." said Leonardo.

"Fair enough. I suppose you've got a point there." Tyroth sighed. "But if I do take up the mantle of leader, what will the two of you do?"

"I suppose you could say that George and I will retire, knowing that we are all in good hands. But we will still offer advice to the best of our abilities, should you need it."

Tyroth stood silent, just looking into the air in front of him.

"We understand that this might come as a shock to you, Tyroth, but we would not even consider this if we did not think that you would be able to lead us." said George.

"I know, and I guess that's what worries me. You might think that I can lead, but I'm not sure that I agree with that." Tyroth said. "If you'll excuse me, I'll need some time to think about all this."

With that Tyroth walked out of the room, leaving the three mutants behind.

"Do you think that he will accept his new role?" Leonardo asked.

"In time, I am certain that he will. Just as you would have, my son." Splinter said, placing a paw on his eldest son's arm.

"If only he did not harbour such doubt about his ability to lead." said George.

* * *

As Tyroth left the room, he continued through the main hall of the inn where the others were still eating.

Halfway through the room, his eyes met those of Sephie, and she smiled at the sight of him, but that smile was quickly replaced with a face of concern when she saw how troubled he looked. He nodded towards the door as a notion for her to join him outdoors, and she gave him a nod in response.

Once Sephie exited the inn, she saw Tyroth standing on the porch, leaning on the railing and looking out into the village.

The sun had begun setting, and was already below the canopy of the great woods to the west, the rays painting the most of the sky in warm yellow and orange colours, while a thin band of purple began creeping along the sky, giving way to a dark blue and the first stars of the oncoming night.

It was a truly beautiful evening, and Sephie would have loved to spend a few moments just enjoying it together with her mate and lover, but she knew that it wouldn't be in the way she hoped, not with how troubled he had looked.

"Tyroth." she said softly as she walked up next to him. "What's the matter, hun?"

"I just talked with Leo, George and Splinter."

"What about?"

"They want me to become the leader of the village."

"Oh."

"You don't seem very surprised about that."

"Not really, no. I always had the feeling that you would take over after Gramps eventually, but I wasn't really expecting that Splinter would do the same, let alone now of all times."

"Well, I wasn't expecting any of it at all." Tyroth sighed.

"Why not? If anyone should become our new leader, I can't honestly think of anyone better than you, love." Sephie said, placing her hand on his.

"Leo and the elders said basically the same thing."

"Then what's the problem? All of us know that we can trust you to keep us safe, just like you've done so far."

"But there is a difference between being a leader and a guardian."

"And whose to say that you can't be both?"

"Can I really be trusted with that?"

"Alright then, let me spell this out for you, hun." Sephie said, and began counting on her fingers. "You're the physically strongest out of all of us, you heal faster than anyone else, you can fly, you can breath fire, you possess magical powers, which have been enhanced to a level I don't think Thaenia even considered possible for mortals, you've fought demons, dragons, undead and so much more, and you've kept the Knights together.

You have all of this and more among your merits, and we all trust you with our lives because of it. As far as I see it, you've almost been our leader for the last years in all but title. We wouldn't even be here now without you, love."

Tyroth looked at his wife in amazement, and then turned his gaze to the sky above them.

"I was hoping to get some advice from you, Sephie, but it felt more like a pep-talk." he chuckled.

"Whose to say it wasn't both." Sephie replied with a smile. "My point is that you don't have to be worried about misusing your new power, you have more than enough discipline, and heart, not to."

"Do you really think I should accept this?"

"I do, and I'm sure that if you asked anyone else the same question, they would give you the same answer. Aside from maybe Rattletrap."

"I don't doubt that. He'd probably nominate himself to be in charge."

"And I don't think anyone would even put him in charge of his own tail." Sephie giggled. "But if you still don't believe it, why not bring it up with everyone and put it to a vote, let them decide."

"Not sure if that thought scares me more or less."

"The result will be the same, you will be our new leader, love, I know that. And I know that you'll a great one."

"No pressure, huh?"

"Look, you might stumble every now and then, you might make some mistakes, but who wouldn't, and you will learn from every experience. Besides, you still got all of us here for you, so just because you're our leader won't mean that you're all alone."

For a few minutes, Tyroth stood silent, thinking about everything that Sephie, and the others, had told him. Looking back at the door, he took a deep breath.

"Well, let's get this over with then." he said, turning towards the door proper.

"So what are you going to do?" Sephie asked as she followed his lead.

"I'm gonna call for a vote in the matter, see what people say."

"I think I can guess the outcome with ease." Sephie said smiling, giving her mate a quick kiss on the cheek.

* * *

As they entered the inn again, most people were just finishing their meals, with Leonardo, Splinter and George having joined them since their meeting with Tyroth.

After taking a few breaths to steel himself, and receiving another kiss from Sephie, Tyroth walked into the centre of the room and cleared his throat.

"Can I have everyone's attention please." he said in a loud and clear voice, and as everyone quieted down, he instantly started to regret it all, but he had see this through to the end.

"A little while ago, our elders came to the conclusion that it's time for them to step down as our leaders and have one of us take up the role, for all of us. They have also, together with Leonardo, decided on whom they are passing on the torch to, a decision that I did not have any real say in, and they have chosen me."

As soon as Tyroth had said that, many of the Mutopians erupted into cheers and applauds, especially Freya, who was over the moon that her dad was going to be the new leader.

"However." Tyroth continued in a loud voice, waiting a moment for everyone to be quiet again. "I don't intend to take charge without your approval, as I think that leadership is something that should be earned, not taken, so I'm putting this to a vote. Anyone who thinks that I should lead, raise your hand."

It didn't take very long before a sea of hands were raised high in the air, far more than Tyroth had anticipated.

"And against?"

This time, not a single hand was raised, and as Tyroth looked around confused, Leonardo, Splinter, George and Sephie all watched both him and the results with big smiles.

"I'd say that the results are unanimous." said Leonardo as he walked up to Tyroth.

"I guess they are..." Tyroth said, still rather shocked, and that didn't wear off when Leonardo grabbed him by the wrist and raised his hand high.

"All hail our new leader, Tyroth!" the blue-masked turtle cheered, and people soon followed suit, but there was one that went even further.

"All hail Jarl Tyroth!" Michelangelo cheered loudly and enthusiastically, and it didn't take long before more and more joined in in a chorus. Tyroth couldn't help but roll his eyes. Michelangelo had taken quite a liking to the sort of title the dragon had been given by them back in Skyrim, and it seemed that the turtle hadn't forgotten.

"Speech! Speech!" someone cried out, and like before, more soon followed suit.

"Alright, calm down everyone." Tyroth said, waiting again for some silence. "If you all believe that I should lead you, then I will do my best to be the leader you deserve. Regardless of who would have become our leader though, we still have a lot of work ahead of us for months to come if we are to fix up this village, and then far beyond that to survive, continuing tomorrow. Before that, however, as my first act as leader, I am appointing Leonardo as my steward."

"Wait, what?" Leonardo said with a confused look.

"That means," Tyroth continued before Leonardo could say anything else. "that he will be my second in command for day-to-day business. If I'm not around, you can go to him instead."

"Hold on, don't I get a say in this?" Leonardo asked in a low voice, while the others applauded again.

"About as much as I did." Tyroth said with a smirk. "All of this was your idea to begin with, and now you know how I felt."

Tyroth then turned back to the others.

"If you want to celebrate, go right ahead, because tomorrow we'll get very busy."

* * *

Said and done, the very next day the Mutopians worked tirelessly to fix up their new home.

But as the sun reached its zenith on that day, a pair of eyes spotted the smoke from the tavern rising into the sky from a distance.

"Well well, seems like someone else had the same idea."

**So it begins, a new life for the Mutopians under the leadership of Tyroth. He isn't too thrilled about it though, but if I were in his shoes... place, I don't think I'd be either. At least he pulled Leo in with him, and I guess it serves him right, if you look at it that way. :)**

**But now it seems like someone has discovered the new Mutopia. Who and what might they be?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**First Visitor**

It was approaching noon as the Mutopians kept working hard to restore the village to working condition. Several were out in the nearest fields, clearing out weeds and seeing to the crops that had grown on their own since the village had been abandoned, while others cleaned both buildings and streets of dirt and debris, and others still worked on repairing smaller damages on the buildings.

And in the middle of it all, Tyroth stood and issued out orders to his people, even when he was busy doing any of the other chores.

"Do you think you can get the fishing ship fixed?" he asked Donatello.

"Without a doubt." the purple-masked turtle responded. "Even without its mast, it's still operational and can be used while we make a new mast."

"That's good. Sharky's already volunteered to do some fishing for us, but we should have others help him so he don't have to do all the work. I'll also have to make sure to tell Louie that we need to economize our food supplies, in case we get a harsh time. How's the treatment of the dino-meat going, by the way?"

"As far as I can tell, it's going well, but it's still a rather slow process to smoke and salt meat. The meat we're roasting however is coming along nicely."

"Good. We'd still better use as much of the cooked meat as possible before it goes bad."

"Someone's in their element." Tyroth heard Leonardo say from the side. Looking over his shoulder, he saw the blue-masked turtle standing there with a wide smile. "You seem to be doing well as our leader."

"Does it look like I got a choice?" Tyroth muttered, pinching his nose-ridge. "Everyone wants me to lead them, so I got to do my best at that."

"As far as I can tell, you're doing great so far." Leonardo complimented.

"So far, yes. How are things going in the rest of the village?"

"Slow but steady." Leonardo started. "Loki is working on the blacksmith that he found, together with the other teens. He wants to get it up and running as soon as possible so that he can start crafting what tools we might need."

"That's my boy." Tyroth said with a proud smile. "He likes being effective."

"True that. As for your mate, she's considering to start teaching others how to use bow and arrow, so that we can start hunting, but we only got two bows between us, hers and Mona's. And April is cleaning her new shop, and from what she told me, she'll start as more of a requisition office, where we can keep our tools and such when we're not using them, since there's next to nothing to sell, or anyone to buy."

"Smart move." Tyroth then let his gaze sweep across the surrounding village. "It's gonna take a while to get to know the lay of the land here. Not just the village, but the surrounding areas as well. We need a better point of view of things."

Taking another look at the surroundings, Tyroth soon spotted a Mutopian that could help him.

"Hey, Vincent! Come over here for a moment." he called out, and the owl quickly hurried over.

"What can I do, Jarl Tyroth?" Vincent asked.

"For starters, drop the 'Jarl'-thing, please. Just Tyroth is fine." the dragon said, forcing himself to not winch at the title that he had been given, thanks to Michelangelo. "Since you have quite the artistic skill, I was thinking that you could draw us a map of the area, since we haven't found any so far. Fly up high and draw what you can see."

"Shouldn't be too hard, but I must remind you that I can easily get stuck in the moment when drawing and painting."

"Don't worry about it, I'll make sure we check up on you every now and then."

"Then I'll just grab a pencil and some sheets of paper and get right to it." Vincent was just about to leave and gather what he needed, but stopped and held his beak-chin in thought. "You know what would make things easier for me? One of those… what are they called again… a clipboard, that's the thing!"

"I brought a few of those with me just for these things, you can borrow one." said Donatello, and walked over to his large bag and started rummaging. "Let's see, now where did I… ah, there they are- wait, what's this?"

Together with the clipboards, Donatello pulled out a pair of books from his bag.

"Our Dungeons and Dragons books? I didn't pack these. Where did they come from?" the purple-masked turtle asked.

"Oh, that would be my fault." someone said, and that someone was Michelangelo. "I thought we might want to have something fun to do every now and then, and since I couldn't bring any video games or such, I took these books. I really like that game, you know."

"But only two books?"

"Have you tried carrying all the books, bro? They're heavy as shell. So I hid some in all of your bags."

"I thought it felt heavier than it should have." said Leonardo. "I should probably be angry at you, to some degree, but I'm actually more impressed that you managed to pull it off."

"Thanks, but don't think too highly of me, Leo. I just didn't want to be bored and not have anything to do in Skyrim. But, now we're here instead, so I don't think anyone would want to play DnD with me."

"Maybe not." Tyroth said as he took one of the books from Donatello and started flipping through the pages a bit. "But I think you've just given us some very valuable items, Mikey."

"Really? Why?"

"Think about it. We're living on a world that seems based on DnD, if it is just like in the game, then these books will give us a lot of information on the various creatures and magical items we can encounter, and so much more."

"Huh, didn't think of that. Seems I did good then." Michelangelo said with a proud smile.

"That you did, Mikey. And I got a job for you." Tyroth continued. "Gather up all the books and bring them to the inn, so I know where they are. And apologise to everyone whose bags you hid them in."

"Ugh, not looking forward to that last part, but you're the boss, Jarl Tyroth." Michelangelo said, giving a mock salute before hurrying off.

"I really wish they would stop calling me that." Tyroth groaned.

"Better get used to it. I don't think that they will stop anytime soon." Leonardo. "By the way, did you get Rattletrap to tell you where he ran into that dinosaur?"

"After a few rants of complaints about it from him, I did, yes. Turns out they found each other in a cave of some sort, at the base of the mountains just to the north of us. I'll have to check out that cave at some point, but for now it's just another thing to add to the to-do list. The ever growing to-do list."

"No one said it would be easy to be the leader."

"No one asked me if I wanted to be the leader in the first place."

Suddenly, Sarah came running.

"Boss! We've got company!" she said. "We spotted someone travelling down the road, they'll reach the village in about twenty minutes."

"How many?" Tyroth asked.

"Don't know for sure." Sarah answered. "It looked like a large cart or wagon, pulled by an ox. Unless the wagon is filled with people, I'm guessing there are only two or three."

"Hmm… I figured that we'd run into the people of this world eventually, but this was quicker than I imagined." Tyroth said, taking a moment to think about what to do. "I guess there's no avoiding it then. I'll go and greet our visitors, see what they want."

* * *

After the visitors had been spotted, people had withdrawn to safety, partly because they didn't know what to expect, but mostly because they were so used to stay away from people.

Just like Sarah had told Tyroth, it was a large wagon pulled by an ox that rolled into the outskirts of the village, but there was only a single person, a short and stout person with a thick, brown beard.

A male dwarf. Dressed in simple everyday-clothes, but with several pieces of thick leather attached to the shoulders, back and front of his upper body. The dwarf adjusted his cloth cap a bit and shot a quick glance at the loaded crossbow at his left side, and his hammer at his right.

"Whoa there, girl." he said as he gently pulled on the reins to the ox, and the strong beast slowed down before stopping completely.

The Mutopians were watching the dwarf from a distance, yet they remained out in the open, fully visible to the dwarf as well. He took a few moments to observe them, stroking his beard a bit and raising an eyebrow when he saw that there were only a few humans and a whole lot of different beast folk, most of which he didn't even recognise.

"Not what I expected." he said under his breath, then he cleared his throat and addressed the Mutopians in a loud and clear voice. "Good tidings to you all. The name's Ragnir Hammerfall, travelling merchant to the trade. Could I interest any of you to take a look at my goods?"

"You speak English?" Casey asked with a cocked head.

"English? That's what you call Common here?"

"Not really, but they do seem to be the same." said Tyroth as he arrived.

"A Red Half-Dragon? Been a while since I met one of your kind." Ragnir said, letting one hand rest closer to his weapon, but Tyroth noticed this and raised one hand.

"You don't have to be worried, we mean you no harm if you do the same." the dragon said. "And I'm not the same kind of Half-Dragon that you've encountered in the past. All of us are, in fact, most likely quite different from anything you've seen before."

"So I've seen." Ragnir said, relaxing slightly and taking a look at all the people that were gathering nearby. "You got Lizardfolk, Tabaxi, Aarakocra, Tortles, Humans, what I think is a Yuan-ti, and plenty others, werebeasts maybe? Quite the mixed bunch."

"You don't know the half of it. I'm Tyroth, by the way, the **newly** elected leader of our people."

"The leader, huh? How many more surprises have you got? You know what, don't answer that." Ragnir cleared his throat again. "As I said before, I'm Ragnir Hammerfall, travelling merchant, and I was hoping that you might be interested in some of my wares."

Hopping down from the wagon, he quickly placed the crossbow on his back and the hammer in his belt before pulling off the tarp from the wagon, revealing a large collection of various things. Everything from rolls of fabric and tools, to jars with herbs and bottles, to materials and clothes, all kept in open boxes.

By now, a lot of people had gathered around the dwarf and his wagon.

"Wow, take a look at all this." said Leona as she and others began inspecting the wares. "I bet we could do a lot with it."

"Take your time, but don't expect any free samples. I'd run my business into the ground if I did." said Ragnir, but with a smirk on his lips.

"You travel alone, I take it?" Tyroth asked, to which the dwarf nodded. "Are the roads that safe?"

"I wouldn't really call them safe, but it's not very common that you get stopped by bandits or the like. Beasts are more likely, but I can handle myself. I used to be an adventurer."

"But then you took an arrow in the knee?" Devina cut in, earning a very confused look from Ragnir.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Never mind. It's just something I've heard too many times."

"Well, okay then. But if you've got to know, the party I was a part of kind of broke up a few years ago, everyone going their own way. But the adventures we had, the memories we made, those would make for some good stories." Ragnir then turned back to Tyroth. "In fact, I'm sure you all got some interesting ones yourself, so why don't you and I swap some stories, big guy? Over a drink, of course, as is custom. I'm a bit parched after the long trip."

"Sounds like a good idea." said Tyroth. "I'll show you to our bar, but don't get your hopes up for something strong."

"Anything will do fine, as long as I get a drink." the dwarf chuckled. "But, um… will my cart be safe in the meantime?"

"Don't worry, no one would even think of stealing anything. Right, Rattletrap?" Tyroth said, throwing a glare at said rat during the final sentence.

"Uh… right boss!" Rattletrap responded, gently putting back something that he had been looking at.

**Tyroth seems to be doing his best with his new position as leader, but he's not necessarily happy about it. Not that the others seem to mind.**

**And the mysterious character in the last chapter was our new dwarven friend, Ragnir Hammerfall. Was thinking a bit about his name, and originally planed to have his last name be Fallhammer, but then I saw how close that was to Hammerfall, one of my favorite bands, so I changed it in their honour.**

**He also mention several races native to DnD; Lizardfolk (no surprise there), Tabaxi (Cat people), Aarakocra (Bird people, and yes, it's spelled with two 'A's), Tortles (Turtle people, I mean, what else?), Yuan-ti (Snake people, sort of) and various werebeasts, the Monster Manual specifically lists Werewolves, Wererats and Wereboars, among others. Have some guesses who he thinks is what. :)**

**Also, those familiar with the game Skyrim should recognise the line-turned-meme 'I used to be an adventurer like you, but then I took an arrow in the knee' that Ragnir almost said, and Devina continued. A very common phrase by the guards in Skyrim, and for quite some time I really didn't understand how an arrow in the knee could stop them from being adventureres, with how much healing magic and potions there are, but people have a theory.  
**

**Supposedly, 'Taking an arrow in the knee' is an old Norse term for getting married, but further research, at least on my part, hasn't found any evidence. Trust me, I'd love for it to be true, because it sounds awesome as an old saying, but it doesn't match up with reality.**

**But that's enough of a rant from me. Next time, we'll be getting basically only dialog between Tyroth and Ragnir, so that I can keep building the world. Not a lot of actual progression, but at least there will be a next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Swapping Stories**

As Tyroth and Ragnir reached the bar and entered it, the dwarf was in for quite the shock when he saw the spider that was running the place.

"What in the Nine Hells is that?!" the dwarf exclaimed upon seeing Hacker. "One of Lolth's creations?!"

"Who? Me?" Hacker asked, looking around confused. "And who, or what, is Lolth?"

"That's nothing you need to worry about, Hacker." Tyroth said, then turned to Ragnir. "We got no relation or connection to any gods or similar here. I'll explain it all shortly."

"Looking forward to that explanation, 'cause I'm only getting more and more questions. And a stronger need for that drink."

"If it's a drink you're after, have a seat somewhere, and I'll give you the strongest I got." said Hacker. "Once I find a clean cup."

It took a few minutes of rummaging around in the mess that was the bar-to-be, but eventually, Hacker found a pair of clean mugs, and disappeared out the back for a while longer before returning with the mugs filled with a clear liquid.

"There we go. Sorry for the wait, but um… we're not really open yet. Still working on the place actually."

"Then I guess we're getting a preview of what's to come. Cheers!" Ragnir said and took a mouthful of the drink, only to spit and cough it out again. "What the?! I've been to many bars and pubs where they water down their drinks, but this is just plain water!"

"It's all I got." hacker explained. "Besides, it's free, so it's not like I'm cheating you."

"Fair point, I suppose. And water is healthier than booze anyway, but I sure didn't expect it."

"You'll find that we're full of surprises, Ragnir." Tyroth said, taking a sip of his own water. "I guess I'll have to start from the beginning."

* * *

Over the better part of an hour, Tyroth explained how he and his people had come to both the village and the world, how they had been forced to leave their old home, and what they were. Certain details, such as the magical water they brought with them, were left out, but other than that, it was a full disclosure of their past.

For the most part, Ragnir just listened, asking a question or two at some points, taking everything in stride. However, when Tyroth started explaining about the Dungeons and Dragons game, the dwarf just couldn't believe his ears. The very thought of his own reality being a game in another reality was too much to swallow. Tyroth even had to fetch the books to prove it, after which, Ragnir sat quiet for several minutes.

* * *

"I told you our story was a special one." Tyroth said.

"And I didn't doubt your word, but this…" Ragnir gestured to the open books in front of him. "This is something that I could never imagine. I don't even know how to react to it."

"I don't blame you. And the fact that you recognised so much from the books further proves that this world and the books are connected in some way."

"But how? How is that even possible?"

"That, I don't know. Maybe the people that wrote the books have visited this world, or maybe they saw it in their dreams. It could also just be a pure coincident, much like how we're speaking the same language."

"The gods sure work in very strange ways…" Ragnir said, scratching his bearded chin.

"Indeed. And as I'm sure you understand, we could really use all the help we can get to get our bearings on this world."

"That I do. Go ahead and ask your questions, and I'll try to answer them."

"Then it's only a question of where to start." Tyroth said and took a moment to think.

* * *

More time passed, and Tyroth asked all the questions that he could think of, and Ragnir answered them to the best of his ability.

The world that they had arrived on didn't really have a name, at least not one everyone agreed on. Dwarves just referred to it as the Surface up top, and the Depths down under, while the elves had own name, as did many other races, but Ragnir wasn't sure what those names were. Humans however, called it Ewaros, and they were widespread enough that most other races knew that.

On a more local note, they were currently in the nation of Torgalia, a land filled with all kinds of races, but humans were the most numerous of them. Ragnir presented a few maps where he began pointing out certain spots as he explained them.

Torgalia bordered to several other nations, to the west, the Elven Kingdom of Yalisa, to the north, the States of the Great Khan, a mostly barbaric region, though because of a lot of infighting, rulers and names changed every few years.

To the south east, lay the Empire of Kiosho, which Torgalia didn't have the best relation with, and from Ragnir's description it sounded similar to old Japan or China, as opposed to Torgalia's more medieval European style. To the south west, there were several tribes that coexists in the deep jungles, rather than a single nation, and they were simply called the Jungle Tribes, and the area for the Southern Jungles.

Across the sea to the east, there were several nations and kingdoms, but it would take at least a month to reach any of them, except for one.

In the far north east, in the Frozen Wastes, there was a people that called themselves Nordlings. They had made a name for themselves raiding coastal settlements for many, many years. It was they whom attacked the village the year before, after which the people had had enough and left.

Going even more local, Ragnir pointed out the closest settlements, all about a week away by horse. To the north west lay the town of Trugulf, a mining town at the base of the Halgomers Mountains, which actually reached all the way to the coast, just north of Mutopia.

In the south west was Landows, a decent sized city surrounded mostly by farmlands and forests, and a great trading hub for many towns and cites past it. And far to the west was Berstolia, the capital of Torgalia and largest city in the kingdom.

After receiving that information, they moved on to other topics.

Tyroth was happy to learn that they used mostly the same measurement systems with inches, feet, pounds, gallons and so on, even time was the same, with a few exceptions. Every month was exactly four weeks long, or twenty eight days, and a year was thirteen months, which made one Ewaros year one day shorter than a standard Earth year.

They also had seasons in the region of the world that they were in, summer, fall, winter and spring, of which summer lasted for four months, while the others only lasted three. Luckily, the winters didn't seem to be very severe or harsh, though it did happen sometimes. On the other hand, it wasn't unheard of dinosaurs wandering up from the jungles in the summers.

As for how the people of Ewaros counted dates, that was quite different from what Tyroth and the others were used to. The current date was the fourth day, third week, second summer, year four hundred and fifty two of the ninth era, though they would only refer to it by day, week and month unless it was another year. No names for days or months, and it varied greatly when a new era would start, often after some form of great event, good or bad.

One thing that was the same as Tyroth was familiar with was the money, with copper, silver and gold coins making up the currency. Ten coppers on one silver, and ten silvers on one gold, just like in the game, though how much a certain item might cost was up to the seller, just like prizes back on Earth. And with the help of some scales, Ragnir was able to determine that the gold coins from Skyrim was worth seven silvers a piece, being slightly smaller than the coins of Ewaros.

It also turned out that travel between different planes and dimensions was common enough that most people had heard of it at least once, and even if the majority of Ewaros' people didn't have the means to it, it didn't mean that the inhabitants of the other planes were as restricted.

* * *

Ragnir downed another mug of water, feeling quite dry in his throat after all the talking.

"That hit the spot. Haven't talked that much in a long while. Especially not about things that I don't think that much about. Hope that it helped."

"More than you think. Thank you."

"Don't mention it. But there's still a lot that you need to know about your new surroundings, more than I can tell you over a few drinks."

"I can imagine."

"However, I got a solution to that. I got some books back in my cart, books on the local fauna and flora, on simple crafting techniques, things that I think you could have great use of. So tell you what, give me food and lodging until tomorrow, and I'll give you the books."

"That's a very generous offer, but hardly fair, we can pay you in gold instead."

"No need for that, my friend. You only have so much coin between all of you, and even if you didn't need money back where you're from, you'll need it here sooner or later. Besides, I've been on the road for a long time now, so it'd be nice to have a proper bed to sleep in for a while."

"Not sure if we can manage a 'proper' bed, but I'll see what we can do. As for food… how do you feel about cockroaches?"

"Ugh! Horrible bugs! Can't stand them! I'd rather face down a Chimera!"

"Then you might want to consider take-out instead." Tyroth said, trying to suppress a smile.

**Man, that was a lot of work, and it didn't help that I had to rewrite the entire darn thing, first version didn't feel right.  
Now, this chapter was pretty much only a lot of world building, so that we're all on the same page. You are allowed to take notes of the various places, I for one will sure need them in the future.**

**But with this and that out of the way, I'll wrap things up here, and see you all next time. :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Scouting**

A couple of days had passed, and Ragnir was still hanging around Mutopia, having decided to help where he could, at least for the time being, though, after meeting Louie, it took a lot of convincing to get him inside the inn again.

Currently, he was in the blacksmith, helping Loki properly familiarize himself with the forge and its tools.

"… and remember to always pre-heat the molds before you pour the metal, get rid of any moisture. That way, you won't risk any molten metal exploding in your face. I've seen it happen to novices several times, and it's not pretty."

"Pre-heat, then pour. Got it. Can we go on to hammer techniques now?"

"Ha! I like you, kid! You got an urge to learn." Ragnir chuckled, patting Loki on the back.

Outside, Tyroth stood and watched together with his father.

"Loki seems to have made a new friend." Richard said with a smile.

"They share a common interest, metal forging. But I must admit that I'm surprised that Ragnir decided to stay this long."

"Especially after he met Louie. Not even your mother reacted that badly. I didn't think he would come back after he ran out of the inn."

"Me neither, dad, but I'm glad he did. We need all the allies, and all the help, we can get in this world."

"You know, back when you were still just a little toddler, I tried to imagine what you'd become once you had grown up, and I would never have thought you would be the leader of a village. A jarl of all things."

"Trust me, neither did I." Tyroth sighed, but he soon felt his father's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it, son, we all know that you'll do your best. And with everyone being able to handle their tasks and themselves, you'll have time to get used to this."

"And I thought you and mom would have the harder time to adjust."

"Aside from that dinosaur, it's been pretty much like when we visited Mutopia, the old Mutopia that is. It took a while to fathom all of it, but after that it was more or less our second home, just like this will become a great home for us all."

"I'm glad that you think that, dad, especially with how you and mom were brought back into my life. Where is mom anyway? I haven't seen here for quite a while."

"She said that she wanted to look for herbs and such in the forest. She grabbed one of the books we got from Ragnir and headed out together with Sephie, Jack and Heather."

"That's good, I was worried for a while there. I know that mom knows better than heading into unknown woods alone, but I can't help but worry all the same."

"And that's what will make you a great leader."

"That remains to be seen, but I wonder how they are doing."

* * *

Meanwhile, deeper in the woods to the north, Heather plucked a leaf off of a small plant.

"Is this what we are looking for?" she asked, presenting her findings to Erica.

"Looks like it." Erica responded and checked the book she held. "Yes, that's Enom's Leaves. It says here that it can be used in poultices- sorry, potions, to heal wounds."

"You sure about that? Looks like nettles to me." said Jack.

"I would have thought so too, but according to the book it isn't." Erica continued. "The serrated edges are round rather than sharp, and the flowers have dark red petals. And it doesn't sting like nettles does."

"Well, that's a relief." said Jack. "I just can't stand the itching, it drives me nuts, so I won't be picking any nettles."

"I could do that easily." said Heather. "My carapace-like skin is too tough to be affected by such things."

"If we can, I think we should try and get some seeds so that we can cultivate the herb back in the village." said Sephie. "I'm sure Patch will appreciate that. And James. Does it say how to make that potion?"

"Not in this book, but I think one of the others had a chapter or two on making medicines." said Erica.

"Not to be one of those, but maybe we should have checked that and written down what we need." said Jack.

"You're probably right. I'm not very good at this kind of lifestyle, not as good as the rest of you at least."

"We are still learning too, Erica." said Heather. "And I am not sure if we got all the tools to make these potions, so it might just be just as well. At least we know where the herbs are for when we can make them."

"And they are good, or the ones in the game were." said Sephie. "I hope that the same is true here."

"Right, you know stuff from when you were stuck in the game a few times." said Jack.

"Some, but not a lot. And I wasn't a Ranger, but a Fighter, specifically an Arcane Archer. But I, or my character, was adopted by Elves, so I was taught a little, or my character was. It's difficult to explain, it's like memories of memories, someone else's memories."

"So that's why you wanted to come along." said Erica.

"In part, yeah, but I also want to keep you safe. You are my mother-in-law after all, not to mention the grandmother to my children, and ever since you and Richard came back into our lives, you've been the closest to an actual mother I've had since I mutated."

"Oh, you're just the sweetest!" Erica said, cupping Sephie's cheek before hugging her. "I knew that I would like you as soon as Tyroth started dating you."

"You always made me feel like a part of the family." Sephie said with a faint blush. "I'm so happy that we're all together again. I just wish that… that I could at least have met my family again before we had to leave."

"I understand, and you don't know how hard it was to meet them and not being able to tell them that you're still alive."

"It's probably for the better." Sephie sighed. "After what happened to you at the hands of the Foot, I can't risk them finding out about my family, and I pray that they are still safe now that we've left Earth."

"Don't you worry, we were very careful whenever we met. The Foot will never find them."

"Thank you."

"Sorry to interrupt the tender moment, ladies, but I though I heard something." said Jack, drawing his scimitar and taking a readied stance.

At once, Heather and Sephie drew their own weapons, and the three mutants formed a circle around Erika.

"So glad that I brought these." Sephie said as she drew one of her explosive arrows. "They should make it easier."

Soon, the others all heard what Jack had picked up, something was moving through the vegetation, slowly but heavily, and seemingly towards them. A few almost agonising moments later, a large bear walked into view, its gaze fixed on the group as it growled loudly.

"Phew, it's just a bear." Sephie said, relaxing ever so slightly.

"'Just a bear'?!" Erica exclaimed.

"I agree with Erica, there's nothing 'just' about a bear!" said Jack. "Sure, it ain't a dinosaur, but none of us is Tyroth either."

"Trust me, a bear is preferable over a troll." said Sephie, swapping her arrow. "And we won't need fire to take it down, if we need to."

The group stood their ground, waiting to see if the bear would make any moves against them, rather than running away and risk triggering it to chase them. And all the time, the three mutants were focused on protecting Erica, since she was just human. The others could easily be healed by some of the water they brought with them if they were to get injured, but Erika would be mutated if she were to drink it.

But as they stood there, the bear kept walking towards them, its gaze never leaving them.

"There is something strange about this bear." Sephie said. "Something with the eyes."

"I have noticed it too." said Heather. "There is intelligence in them, more so than I would expect of an animal."

"So what do we do?" asked Jack, but no one had the time to give an answer.

The bear, now less than fifty feet away, started glowing a soft green hue, rapidly morphing into a humanoid form whilst a swirl of leaves and petals of the same green colour.

When the glow died down, in place of the bear stood a tall and beautiful woman of slender build and fair complexion, with raven black hair that reached to her waist. Her almond shaped eyes were like silver and her ears long and pointed.

She wore a long, sleeveless, open coat of yellow leaves over a long dress that seemed to be made of thin, green moss and fingerless gloves of birch bark that covered the lower half of her forearms. In her left hand, she held a long, wooden staff, slightly crooked at the top with several feathers tied to it, the same sort of feathers that she wore in her necklace.

Fixing her stern gaze on the group, she let her eyes wander from one to the other, especially the mutants, before finally speaking.

"I have never seen creatures such as you." she said almost coldly. "Who are you, and what are you doing in these woods?"

"Who's this? Mother Nature's daughter?" Jack asked.

"Not quite." said Sephie. "She's an Elven Druid, and I take it that she's a protector of the forest."

"You are correct, reptile. Now, answer my question; what are you doing in these woods?"

"We simply came here to look for useful herbs." said Erica.

"What for? Why would you have an interest in that?" the elf asked. "You do not look like travellers, and those are the only ones that have moved through these woods for several seasons, save for those that are running from something."

"Know that abandoned village nearby?" Jack asked back. "We sorta moved in there just a few days ago."

"And now we are trying to learn of our surroundings." Heather continued. "Such as where we can find herbs, edible plants and other sources of food."

"With which you mean animals to hunt."

"If we have to." said Sephie. "We're still rather new to living in these conditions, and we can't afford to be picky if we are to survive. But we will never overreach, we've seen what can happen if we drain the resources of the land too quickly. It's bad for both the land and us."

"You speak wisely, reptile."

"You can thank my mate for that, he's helping us all to better understand this new world."

"So there are more than just the four of you?"

"Try forty, give or take." said Jack.

"Here's an idea, why don't you come with us and see for yourself?" said Erica. "Maybe you can teach us some things so that we know how to better treat the land here."

"An interesting offer. It has been a long time since I sat foot in a settlement not of my kin. I think I will."

"Great! You won't regret it. I'm Sephie, by the way. The wolf is Jack, and the dragonfly is Heather. And that's Erica, my mother-in-law."

"My name is Zaleria. Now, show me your home."

* * *

Meanwhile, off the coast of the village, Sharky was swimming in the surprisingly deep waters, trying to catch some fish for the others to eat, but he wasn't having the best of luck. It wasn't that there was a lack of fish, but Sharky was still learning how to do it effectively.

Diving through another school of fish, he frantically tried to grab a few as they scattered, only to fail. There simply to many fish in the school to focus on one or two, and he just couldn't get a grip around anyone when aiming blindly.

"A shark that can't catch a single fish… I'm a disgrace to shark-kin…" Sharky moaned. "All I've done these last few days is basically just swimming around, and that's no good. I think I need a new strategy."

Sharky was just about to turn around and head back to shore, when something caught his eye of in the distance, a silhouette of some for, at the bottom of the sea.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Sharky swam towards the silhouette to investigate, and as he got closer, more and more silhouettes came into view, and after a little while longer, he saw just what they were.

Shipwrecks.

Dozens of shipwrecks. All broken and covered in algae and seaweed, evidence of that they have been there for a long time, probably hundreds of years even.

As Sharky moved closer, the sea-life that called the wrecks home began to hide or scatter, leaving the shark alone to explore the underwater grave yard. Swimming to the wreck closest to him, one that was tilted on its side, the top half of the mast broken off and signs of battle on the top deck, yet Sharky could not see any form of damage that could have sunk it.

The hatch to below deck gently swung back and forth in the soft currents, offering a way in for the curious mutant, a way that he took. Inside, he was met with darkness, only a small amount of sunlight reaching through the sideways hatch, but that was soon cut off. The drag caused by him swimming inside made the hatch close behind him, as well as the latch on it locking into place. Muffled thuds from the inside could be heard as he tried to open the hatch again, but to no avail.

"Crap… I guess I'm in deep waters now…"

**Stuff is happening all around the village. Not sure what else to put here right now...  
Though, Sharky might be in some trouble**.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Little By Little**

Back in the village, Tyroth was helping Leona and her crew as they were working on repairing one of the houses that had been damaged during a raid before they had arrived.

"Okay, big guy, just keep that beam in just that angle, and we'll nail it good." the fox said.

"You sure that it will be enough to support the new roof?" asked Nick the Frog.

"No question about it, Nick. Just make sure you get the nails in where I showed you, and it will be a solid piece of quality work."

"I don't know, Leona. It don't look right from over here." said Cam. Leona walked over to the rhino and quickly inspected that side of the wooden beam.

"That's because it's slightly off to the side. Just need to push it a tiny bit and we're good."

"Whatever you need to do, just do it. My arms are starting to get tired." said Tyroth.

"Don't worry, chief, we'll be done in a jiffy."

A few minutes later, and the beam was secured in place, letting the crew move on to the rest of the project, and letting Tyroth continue his trek through the village, checking up on everyone, only to be interrupted again.

"Hey, honey!" he heard the lovely voice of his mate call out.

Turing towards the source of her voice, Tyroth saw Sephie walking towards him together with his mother, Jack, Heather and someone that the dragon didn't recognise.

"You're back. How was your trip in the woods?"

"Pretty good, we found some herbs, and a new guest." Sephie said, gesturing towards the elven woman.

"So I noticed."

"Your leader, and mate, is a Red Half-Dragon?" the elf asked with a frown.

"I will be hearing this a lot." Tyroth muttered to himself under his breath. "I'm not the same kind of Half-Dragon that you're used to. The name's Tyroth."

"So I have been told by Sephie here. I am Zaleria, and I was invited to see your village."

"Then I think that we should give you a quick tour, together with an explanation."

"That would be appreciated."

* * *

While Tyroth guided their new guest around and explained who they were, the rest of the village continued to work, though they also made sure to take breaks every now and then. Once such group was Michelangelo and Kate, who decided to walk down to the docks for a moment, but once there they saw that Bill sitting on the very edge of the dock, with a fishing rod in his hands and a bucket at his side.

"Hey, duck, is this dock taken?" Michelangelo asked as he and Kate walked over to the edge.

"Not as far as I can see, so be my guests." Bill replied.

"Are the fish biting?" Kate asked.

"A little, but not as much as those blasted seagulls. I bet they've taken a least on third of all the fish I've pulled up from me. If I had had a gun, I would have blown them out of the skies and given them to Louie to cook."

"Would you really do that?" said Michelangelo. "Eat them I mean. I would probably be down with shooting them too. But they're water fowl, just like you, ain't they? Is that really okay with you?"

"Honestly, it's not that big of a deal to me. All of us are still human at heart, and not very picky, so we would eat our animal counterparts if needed. Sure, some animals were next to impossible for us to get hold of, but fish, pork, bird, beef, that we got from time to time, and it was just food to us."

"Well, all but one." Kate said, and she had a hard time to not smile, to which the duck grinned.

"Right, her! I had almost forgotten about her!" Bill laughed.

"Who are you talking about? I'm getting the feeling that I've missed something here." said Michelangelo, scratching his head.

"This was long before you guys ever met us, babe." said Kate. "It was actually before Tyroth and Sephie joined us, too."

"Yeah, you see, back then, there was this one Mutopian that had been around a long time, not as long as Gramps, mind you, but she was pretty old all the same." Bill began explaining. "Called herself Arabella, and she was a turkey, but she always had this 'holier-than-thou' attitude, even against Gramps, and especially against poor Louie.

But one Thanksgiving, we actually managed to get hold of a real, frozen turkey, and so Louie cooked it for us, in all secrecy. When she saw it being served, she threw the largest fit I've ever seen! I thought she'd never stop yelling, and she didn't as she stormed out of the canteen. I can't speak for the rest of us, but I was having the time of my feathered life at that moment."

"I can't remember Louie ever having such an almost savage smile." said Kate. "He knew what he was doing."

"You should never mess with the cook!" said Michelangelo.

"True that." Bill continued. "After that little 'incident', she mellowed a bit, and I think she even managed to forgive Louie and apologise to him before she passed away a few years later."

"Other than Gramps, I think she was one of the last old Mutopians." said Kate, thinking a little. "Yeah, there were only two more, and they passed away not much later, leaving us, the current generation of Mutopians."

"And now, here we are, on an alien world, trying to catch fish." said Bill, and pulled in the line, only to see it without either fish or bait. "What have you two been up to, anyway?"

"We've got our eyes on one of the houses nearby." said Michelangelo. "We've used our spare time to clean it up properly so the two of us can move in there together."

"Ah, planing for the future, huh? Good idea."

"We hope so, yeah. But it all depends on if Tyroth will let us use that house." said Kate.

"Don't worry, babe." said Michelangelo with a smile, putting his arm around her waist. "I'm sure Jarl Big T won't have anything against it, even if it might take a little time."

"He's not unreasonable, so I don't think there'll be any troubles." said Bill. "But I think that's enough fishing for me. Better get what fish I've gotten to Louie before the gulls take another one. The fish ain't biting any longer, anyway."

"Hope we didn't scare them away." said Kate.

"Nah, I don't think it's your fault. Fishing is mostly luck. Care to tag along? You could show me the house you've been looking at on the way."

The three mutants got back on their feet, Bill grabbing his rod and bucket, and were just about to leave, when Sharky's head broke the surface with a splash.

"What's up?" he shouted, scaring the group.

The three mutants almost jumped out of their skins, and Bill even lost his balance and fell into the water next to the shark, while his bucket was thrown into the air. Kate quickly recovered her senses and managed to grab the handle of the bucket before it and its content fell into the water, but she would have fallen in herself if Michelangelo hadn't been able to grab her tail and pull her back.

"Phew, thanks, hun."

"Don't mention it, Katie. I'm not really in the mood for swimming right now."

Looking down into the water, they saw Bill resurface next to Sharky, spitting out a beak full of water.

"How's the water, fowl?" Sharky asked with a goofy grin.

"You tell me, fish." Bill retorted, splashing water in Sharky's face, but the shark only laughed.

"What are you doing here, Sharky?" Kate asked from the dock. "I thought you were fishing."

"I was, with no success at all, but then I found something that I think the boss might want to see. Got any lead on where he's hanging out?"

"I think Big T was giving a tour to a new guest. An elf of some kind." said Michelangelo.

"Elf? Like a Christmas elf? Those little guys?"

"No, an elf elf. Like Legolas elf. Pointy ears and all. Well, except for a bow, I suppose. I think she was a druid."

"Huh, first a dwarf, and now an elf. What's next, orcs?"

"We already have a dragon here, so who knows with this place."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tyroth had just finished the, rather, short tour of Mutopia, and was currently talking with the elf, Zaleria, specifically about her concerns about their impact on the surrounding forests.

"It is impressive how quickly you have settled in in this village." said Zaleria.

"We're survivors, and like I told you, we're adept at scavenging what others have left behind." Tyroth continued. "However, there is only so much that we can find here, eventually we will have to make the things we need, and that means harvesting resources from our surroundings."

"And thus the land will suffer, like always with mankind."

"I promise you, Zaleria, we will not take more from the land than we need. As much as we can, we will grow our own crops, as well as raise farm animals for other produce than just meat. But we will hunt from time to time, and what nature can provide is also something that we will take advantage of to make sure that we survive. No matter what, I won't allow my people to starve or freeze."

"I understand that, but it isn't your people that will suffer in the long run, at least not yet. The more you grow, the more you need, and one day, there will be nothing left for anyone."

"Then help us, Zaleria. As a druid, you possess powers that we do not, if any of them can help us depend on nature as little as possible, everyone would win on it."

"Are you telling me that none of you have magic?"

"Only four of us have that gift, two of which are my children, and the third is from a world different from our own. Back home, magic was so rare, that even the simplest of cantrips is either unheard of, considered a myth, or believed to be nothing but a bluff. Only the most legendary of magic have survived in stories, but nothing else. Even our magic might be weak compared to what you're accustomed to."

"You are asking me to teach you my ways."

"No, I'm asking you to stay here with us, to be part of our community, our family. You could help us so much in this matter, and we would really appreciate it."

"I am afraid that I will have to say no to that offer." Zaleria said and looked away. "You seem trustworthy, but I have been fooled by that before, and even though you are no longer human, humankind have already cost me a lot in the past."

Those words lingered in Tyroth's mind, and he wondered what had happened to the elf. But he didn't want to ask about it, as it seemed to be painful memories for Zaleria, and she continued to speak before he even got the chance.

"However, I am willing to teach a few of you what I know about living with nature. If you promise that you will not consume this land."

"I give you my word. For every tree that we have to fell, we will plant several more, and we will cultivate what pants we can and need."

"Then we are in agreement." Zaleria said with a small smile. "Now, as for whom I shall teach, I would like to request the woman named Erica."

"My mother?"

"Her, yes. She seemed to be very interested in what I am, and I think that she would want to learn what I will teach."

"I can imagine. She always tended her own garden when she had the chance back home, or so I'm told."

"What do you mean?"

"It was a way for her to cope with her grief when my family believed that I was dead. It's a long story. Anyway, I think she will do great at this, but I'd also ask you to take Patch under your wing as well."

"Patch?"

"Her name is Paula and she's a badger, but we all call her Patch. Back home, she became our head gardener, so I think she should also learn from you. She should be out on the fields, so once we've found her, you can talk to them both about this, see what they say about it."

"Hey, boss!" he suddenly heard Sharky call out from a distance, and soon after the shark came up to the dragon and elf, and a few other people gathered up around them as well.

"Sharky? Haven't seen you for a while. What's going on?"

"I found something." Sharky responded, and handed Tyroth a wooden chest the size of an average breadbox. It was at that point that Sharky finally noticed Zaleria.

"Hi there. Name's Sharky." he said with a nod.

"I can see why."

"Where did you find this?" Tyroth asked. "Last I heard you were trying to catch fish."

"Shipwrecks, boss. Dozens of 'em, just a few miles out. I found 'em while chasing fish, so I decided to check 'em out."

"So that's why you've been gone for a while."

"Well… not entirely. You see, I got trapped in one of the wrecks. The hatch closed behind me and I couldn't force it open, so I had to hack my way out of the bloody thing with my axes. Took a while, but here I am."

"You didn't happen to find a key, 'cause the chest is locked." said Tyroth, and gently shook it while listening closely. "Sounds almost like if it were coins."

"Sorry, but I didn't see any key, but I can go back and search for one."

"Please do. It would be a shame to have to break it open. Just be careful when you're out there, you never know what might be lurking in the depths."

"Yeah, ya don't want any big and scary sea-monsters to get ya!" Rattletrap piped up, mockingly wiggling his fingers over his head in a supposedly threatening manner.

"Sea monsters are a very real thing, rat." Zaleria said factually.

"They… they are?"

"Indeed. No less than three hundred years ago, a mighty fleet was assembled to hunt down and kill a Kraken not too far to the north of here. Less than one tenth of the ships made it back. I remember it clearly, and I would not be surprised if these shipwrecks are from that very fleet."

"I'm not going out on a boat, and that's final!" Rattletrap said, throwing a worried glance at the coast. "The mountains have dinosaurs, and the waters have sea monsters… is any place safe for a little rat?"

"You were around three hundred years ago?" Rose the Lynx asked, completely ignoring Rattletrap, just like the others did.

"It is not a remarkable feat for us elves. We can live for more than twice that time."

"Sounds like we might have a contender for oldest person we know." said Tyroth, which earned him a curious look from Zaleria. "I'll explain later, but for now, let's see if we can find my mom and Patch, and see if there's someone who can pick the lock on this chest."

**Things are starting to come together nicely for our heroes, and they keep meeting new people every so often, so it's only a matter of time before they are discovered by someone in power, but will it be a friend or foe?**

**Whatever the case, they will remain busy until then.  
As will I.**

**See you all soon, and stay safe out there.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Findings**

It had only taken a few minutes for Tyroth to find his mother and Patch, and while both were a bit worried about what studying under Zaleria would entail, they were far more excited of what she had to teach. The trio had then left for the forest, without any additional members of the village.

After that, Tyroth sent for Raphael to meet him at the inn, and when the turtle arrived, several other people had gathered, all curious on the contents of the chest.

"Can't believe you're letting Patch and your own mom go back into the woods alone with that elf." said Raphael as he sat down with the chest and started working on the lock. "Even if she can be trusted, do you really think she can keep the others safe?"

"She's a druid, Raph, they have a very close bond with nature, and great powers because of it." said Tyroth. "She'll be more than enough to keep them all safe."

"If you say so. But I wouldn't have let Mona or Pandora go with someone we've just met."

"Fair point, but those were her conditions. Besides, you all accepted me and Sephie pretty quickly."

"Whatever. I just don't want to be the one who have to tell you 'I told you so'."

"Just zip it, and open the damn thing." said Sharky. "I'm dying of anticipation here."

"I'm already done, just wanted to get it all out in the open."

Carefully opening the lid just a bit, a faint puff of slightly stale air escaped, signalling that the chest was airtight, and thus its contents untouched by the water. Waiting a short moment to see if anything else would happen, Raphael opened the lid fully when nothing happened.

Inside were a lot of small silver coins, probably more than a hundred all shaped like half circles and with an X stamped on both sides.

"These were odd coins. They are coins, right?" Raphael said, picking up one of the silver pieces and taking a closer look.

"Oh, they're coins alright." said Ragnir. "But not necessarily the good kind. You see, those are half-silvers, worth, well, half a silver, or five coppers. Back in the past, those were paid to mercenaries and the like, giving them literally half of the agreed payment, while the other half, same kind of coins but with a circle instead of an x, was held until their job was complete. Once they had both, and a certificate, they could exchange them for proper coins."

"Sounds… strange." said Michelangelo.

"It was, but it was also a way to stop hired help from just taking the money and leaving. The half-silvers were basically worthless, as it was illegal to accept them without their other half and the certificate, so mercenaries had to uphold their end of the bargain. Not a perfect solution, but it worked well… until they realised that they could just smelt the half-silvers into ingots and use that instead."

"Can't imagine why." Raphael scoffed.

"Joke all you want, but it actually took over two hundred years before people stopped using the half-silvers. In fact, the last time was just a hundred and fifty years ago. And if the wreck that these were found in were from those that were hired to hunt that Kraken, they would very well have been paid in half-silvers."

"Then there might be more down there." Sharky mused, a greedy glint sparkled in his eyes.

"Don't get your hopes up, fish-boy. Even though no-one uses half-silvers any longer, they are still illegal by law. They never revoked that."

"But we can still smelt them down ourselves." said Loki. "Once we get the forge up and running again, we can make our own ingots. Heck, with the right molds we could even make our own coins."

"Is that even legal?" asked Chloe. "I mean, like, back home it was against the law to make your own money."

"There shouldn't be any problem." said Ragnir, though he took a while to really think about it. "Having been an adventurer for many years, my group got hold of coins from other nations, ancient civilisations and so on, and all of it was accepted as payment, as long as it was gold, silver or copper, as well as the occasionally electrum and platinum. People might just give you a curious look if they don't recognise the shape or blazon on the coins."

"So, what do we do with the money?" asked Rose. "Divide it up?"

"No." said Tyroth. "Right now, it doesn't really matter for any of us to have money. It will be of much more use if we put it in a sort of treasury so the whole village can have use of it in the future. And it's not like we got anything to spend it on here. Once we have enough, Loki can smelt it like he suggested."

"Thanks, dad!" the geckoling replied with a big smile, looking forward to the time he could get to work.

"Can we at least count the coins before we put them away?" Sharky asked, and Tyroth nodded in response.

Instantly, both Sharky and Michelangelo started digging their fingers into the coins, pulling out handfuls and starting counting them. Raphael sighed and shook his head at his brother, while Kate rolled her eyes, but not without a warm smile on her lips.

"Hold on, I found something." Michelangelo said after a short moment, and held up a small object. "There's a ring here."

"Let me see." said Tyroth, and Michelangelo handed the ring to the dragon without any hassle. It was a standard sized ring of silver, though slightly broader and with a wave pattern etched into it, as well as small pieces of ocean blue sapphires in said pattern.

Looking it over a few times, Tyroth then let his magic gently pour over it, covering it in a red glow, and as it did, it confirmed his suspicions.

"It's magical." he said.

"It is? What kind of effect does it have?" Michelangelo asked, genuinely curious, yet strangely casual about it all.

"How about I show, rather than tell." Tyroth said and walked out of the inn.

The others followed him, and in short order they all soon stood by the river that flowed through the village, once there, Tyroth brought the ring to his right hand. It was clear that the ring was too small for his fingers, but as he slid it on, the ring grew to fit as if it had been made for him.

Taking a final look at the ring, Tyroth stepped out into the water, but rather that what should have happened, he now stood on the water surface, just as if it was solid ground, despite that it was a flowing liquid.

"Wow! How are you doing that, boss?!" Sharky asked.

"This is a Ring of Water-Walking." Tyroth explained, holding up his hand with the ring on. "Anyone that wears it can walk on water without any problems."

Before walking back onto dry land, Tyroth removed the ring and instantly sank to the bottom of the river, which was a mere two feet, again demonstrating his point.

"So, what do we do with the ring then? Who gets it?" asked Kate.

"For now, I'm gonna put it away with the other magical items that we brought with us. We might have use of it at some point, or we might be able to trade it for something else."

"I hope we don't have to trade it." said Loki. "I'd love if we could collect as many magical items as possible."

"Then you will be happy to know that such things are pretty common." said Ragnir, giving Loki a pat on the shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find more soon. Let's head back to the forge, and I can tell you of a few that I've run across during my years as an adventurer."

"You two do that." said Tyroth. "It's high time for the rest of us to get back to work as well."

"Off I got to the shipwrecks then!" Sharky cheered excitedly, really looking forward to what else he might find down there.

* * *

As the others left for their own missions, Tyroth took the chest and walked to one of the rooms in the inn. Pulling out a key from his belt, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

As it stood, it was the closest thing they had to a treasury, and for the time, they stored their valuables in it, such as their money, gems and magical items.

Opening a wooden box, Tyroth placed the ring together with their other items, including the quartz die and the soul swapping crystal, which was still in its own glass box. Closing the box, Tyroth then placed the chest next to another box, in which they had the gold and gems left from their adventure in Skyrim.

The half-silvers numbered two hundred, which meant they were worth one hundred silvers, while their own gold were worth about a hundred and forty silvers, give or take, and it was fair to assume that the gems were worth at least a similar amount, giving them a total of nearly four hundred silvers, or forty gold.

All in all, they had a decent little fortune now, for a single person. For a village of roughly thirty people, little more than one gold each wasn't much to brag about.

But what were they going to spend it on?

Unless merchants visited them, or they travelled to another town, there was nothing to spend the money on.

And having looked at the maps provided by Ragnir, there were only two roads leading to the village, and they both merged several days before reaching it, so no-one would simply be passing by on their way somewhere else, with the possible exception of going to sea.

But that seemed unlikely as well. While the dock was large enough for a few smaller ships, it didn't seem like the previous inhabitants supported any more ship traffic than their own fishing and the occasional visitors from other coastal settlements.

In short, almost no-one would come to Mutopia if they didn't intend to. Which raised another question; why did Ragnir come there in the first place?

He knew that the village had been abandoned for nearly a year, and the Mutopians had only been in the world for less than half a week, and only two days in the village, when the dwarf arrived.

He had said that he saw the smoke rising from the inn, but with the travel time between Mutopia and the nearest settlements being a week or more, he would have had to already have been nearby when he saw it.

And why was he all the way out here in the first place?

Questions, but no answers. And unbeknownst to Tyroth, there would be even more questions in the near future, as well as plenty of other events.

**Seems like as good a place to end this chapter as any.  
I'm sorry if there's a lot of world building and not so much action, but it will be worth it in the long run. Besides, things will start happening in the next chapter, to an extent at least.**

**See you all there.**

**Note: The items Tyroth had in the box are from some other stories; the quartz die is from my other DND crossover (Roleplaying Gone Wrong, Book 1), and the crystal that swaps souls is from Bloodrayne666's story (Switched!). Go check 'em out, or at least Bloodrayne666's story, it's great fun! :)**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**New Company**

Several more days passed, and the Mutopians we re now more than halfway through their second week in their new home. Things were progressing well, with repairs, cleaning and sorting slowly being replaced by chores more focused on continued survival, such as farming, fishing and storing of said food for the future.

However, it wasn't easy for everyone.

In the kitchen of the inn, Louie was trying, and failing, to light the fire he needed to cook, constantly striking his fire striker with the flint piece, but the fire just wouldn't take, no matter what he did.

"Come on! Burn already!" he groaned, but to no use. "How am I going to cook lunch if I can't reignite the fire? Ugh… I didn't even have this kind of problem in the military."

As Louie was about to throw in the towel, he heard someone from outside the kitchen.

"Louie? Is everything alright?" a female voice asked, and soon its owner stepped inside the room, that being Freya, who carried a basket with vegetables, making sure to keep her wings tight against her body.

"It's nothing, Freya. Just trying to get ready for lunch."

"Oh, fireplace giving you a hard time, huh? I can help you with that."

Putting down the basket, the geckoling walked up to the fireplace, knelt and held out her hand, from which a short but intense stream fire erupted, quickly lighting the wood on fire.

"There, that should do it." she said with a smile.

"Thank you, dear."

"You know, Louie, you can always ask us for help with this."

"Yes I know, but I don't want to have to bother you all every time I can't light a simple fire. You could be anywhere, and you shouldn't have to adjust your already busy schedules after me."

"How else are we gonna get some good food then?" Freya asked, and the cockroach was about to answer, but stopped when he realised that she did have a valid point.

"I suppose you're right." he sighed, shaking his head. "I just wish that there was a better way, and I'm sure that others will want that too in the near future."

"What do you mean, Louie?"

"From what I've heard, everyone's hard work is starting to pay off. Many houses are fixed up and cleaned, so people are thinking of moving in in them, but what will they do when winter comes? I honestly doubt that the majority of us are any better at lighting fires than I am."

"Gee, I hadn't even thought about that." said Freya, holding her chin and tapping her cheek with her finger. "I have to talk to dad about that, and I'm sure he'll know what to do, 'cause he's super smart!"

"Like the poor guy doesn't have enough to worry about already. Seems to me like he's been working non-stop every since we got here, but this is an issue that we must attend."

"Don't worry, we'll figure it out. But before I leave, I brought you some vegetables, straight from the fields."

"Wonderful, then I have all I need to start cooking." Louie took a closer look at the crops that Freya had brought him, examining every piece and thinking of how to best prepare them. "By the way, have you heard anything about Patch? Ever since that elf showed up, I've barely seen her."

"I haven't seen her much either, and the same goes for grandma. They both leave early in the morning, going into the forest, and don't come back until sunset, but they both seem fine from what I can tell, even if they are really tired. Both dad, aunt Amber and grandpa worry about grandma, but she says that she's fine."

"Guess we'll have to take their word for it then. But now you'll have to excuse me, Freya, I got work to do."

"Sure thing. I'll be back for lunch."

* * *

Meanwhile, Tyroth had finally gotten the time to investigate the cave where Rattletrap had run across the dinosaur shortly after they all arrived in the village, and he had brought Donatello with him to help him analyse the area.

"What do you think, Donnie? This place looks man-made to me." Tyroth said as the two walked down the cave, using his mana covered hand as a torch.

"I agree with you." Donatello said, kneeling by the wall and inspecting it. "The walls, floor and ceiling are all too smooth to be fully natural. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if at least part of this cave was formed naturally, and that people later dug it out. Whatever the case, it seems like it was quite some time ago that they actually worked on this tunnel. Let's continue deeper in and see how things look there."

A little while later, they reached the far larger cavern, and with Tyroth's light, they could see far more than Rattletrap had.

"No signs of any nest of the dinosaur. Was probably as new to this area as us." said Tyroth.

"Yeah, but look over here." said Donatello. "I found a pickaxe and some sort of mine cart. Not surprising, since they dug out this part. Neither is very old either, probably left the equipment when they evacuated the village."

"There are also several other tunnels around here. Don't know how deep they go."

"With all this evidence, I'd draw the conclusion that this used to be a mine, rather than just a tunnel, but what they mined I can't say right now. At least not without finding traces of what they mined, and without my normal equipment, it will be tougher to get an accurate answer."

The duo walked down one of the tunnels, and Donatello rand his hand along the wall.

"Looks like there are some streaks of… something here." he said, pointing at a part of the wall that glimmered in the red light. "Probably what they were mining, but I can't tell what it is, not in this red light. Think you can get me a piece to examine?"

"No problem." Tyroth said, and turned the glowing mana around his hand into long claws that he dug into the rock wall, cutting out a small cone-shaped piece that he handed to Donatello.

"I can't wait to get to work on this." he said with the smile that he only gets when he can focus on science and research.

"Hope you find time for it. Personally, it feels like I've done nothing but work all over the place all the time." said Tyroth. "Speaking of which, I need to get back and check in on the farms. Ever since Zaleria started educating Patch and mom, we haven't had anyone dedicated to the task, and I heard that they might have some issues there now."

"Then I won't keep you. Just let us get out of here, and you can go and be the leader we need."

* * *

A couple of minutes later, Tyroth arrived at the farm that they were working at, and was met by Moe.

"So what's the issue, Moe?" the dragon asked.

"The issue is that none of us here are very good at farming, man." the mole responded. "Without Patch, I don't think we're getting the radical results we could."

"Well, she isn't available right now, so we just have to do what we can."

"I hear you, man, I hear you, but we're just not used to this kind of heavy work yet, especially not all the watering. Going to the river or the wells, filling the buckets with water, carry it to the fields, empty the buckets. Rinse and repeat."

"Moe's right, boss." said Percy. "Now, I might be spoiled with modern day plumbing, running water and all that, but watering all of this is just too much work."

"I see your point." said Tyroth, thinking for a moment. Tending the field was a lot of work, but it was something that the people that had lived there before managed on a daily basis, however it was no doubt that they were several times more numerous than the Mutopians, so something had to be done. They had to work smarter, not harder.

"Hey, dad! Daddy!" Freya's voice rang through the air, snapping Tyroth out of his thoughts, and shortly after, the geckoling landed next to her father. "I've been looking for you, dad. Louie just told me that we might have a problem with lighting fires in the near future."

A short explanation later, and Tyroth was holding his chin in thought, having even more to think about.

"Some needs water, and others needs fire. Never a dull moment." he muttered. "I'll look into all of this as soon as I'm able, but for now we'll have to keep watering the fields as normal, and the three of us that have fire magic will have to help Louie."

"Sorry if I made things harder for you, daddy." Freya said.

"It's not your fault, sweetheart. We all have a lot of work here regardless, and this needs to be dealt with as soon as possible."

"You're probably gonna hate me for this…" Percy began. "But I think we got something else to deal with right now."

The grasshopper pointed to the road that lead to the village, and on it were several riders on horseback, all heading straight for the village at great speed.

"More people? Whose telling everyone where we are? What do you think they want, man?" Moe asked.

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

* * *

The six riders hurried their horses along the road into the centre of the village, making no attempt to hide their presence from the people in the village.

They all wore full metal cuirass, helmets, gauntlets and boots, with ringmail visible underneath their blue tunics, kite shields on one arm and swords in their belts. The leader of the group had a lion's head engraved on his cuirass and a red cape that billowed in his slipstream.

Soon, they all came to a stop in the plaza, the horses snorting and breathing heavily from who knows how long of a trip. The leader removed his helmet, revealing his short, golden locks, a few beads of sweat clinging to them, as well as his tiny moustache. Quickly wiping his face, the human then took a quick look at the people that had gathered around out of curiosity, most of which obviously being mutants or beast folk in his eyes, which made him frown deeply, and he made no effort to hide it.

"Disgusting rabble…" he sneered in a low voice before he cleared his throat and began talking to the Mutopians in a loud voice. "Listen and listen well, peasants, I am Velnak Byronir. In the name of the king of Torgalia, his majesty Samalor Dragant, you are all to submit to his rule, swear fealty to him, and start paying the taxes you owe him."

"Those are some hefty demands." said Leonardo as he stepped forward, his eyes quickly darting between the other men, calculating how to best fight them should he need to, his hands ready to reach for his swords at the blink of an eye.

Velnak met the gaze of Leonardo and sneered.

"Are you the leader of these… people, tortle?"

"No, but I am his steward, and if you have anything to say to him, you can talk to me as well. Now, by what right do you come with those demands?"

"Clearly, you were not listening, tortle. It is in the name of king Samalor Dragant, our king and ruler, and whose lands you are living on without his permission. Now, submit and swear fealty to him, or face the consequences."

"We don't take kindly to threats." Leonardo replied, narrowing his eyes. "We also had nowhere else to go, and this village was not used by anyone, instead falling into disrepair. If anything, we are doing the king a favour in restoring it."

"Will you yield, yea or nay?!" Velnak asked again, his irritated tone clear for all to hear.

"Nay. Not to the likes of you." Leonardo answered defiantly.

Velnak's face turned red in anger, and he drew his sword.

"Then off with your head!"

But before he could even attempt to slash at Leonardo, Tyroth landed between the two with a loud thud, scaring both the men and the horses so that they staggered backwards a few steps.

"Put down that butterknife, Goldilocks, before you hurt yourself on it." the dragon said calmly, yet he had his hand on the handle of his own sword.

"What took you so long?" Leonardo asked.

"You know I like dramatic entrances." Tyroth replied, to which they both smiled. Then he turned back to the still shocked Velnak. "As for you, no-one threatens my people."

"Y-your people? Are you telling me that you, a half-dragon, are the leader of this rabble?"

"Not by my own choice, but yes, I am their leader."

"Then will you at least see reason, where your… steward do not?"

"All we want is to live our lives, and if your king wants us to serve him, he can come here and talk with us himself. Now turn your horse around and go back the way you came."

"What?! No! I will not turn my horse around, and you can't make me!" Velnak yelled in protest, but Tyroth only smirked.

"Wanna bet?" he said as he walked up to the horse, placed his arms underneath it and lifted it off the ground, rider and all, to the great surprise of said rider, his men, and especially said horse. Quickly and effortlessly, Tyroth had turned the horse around.

"There, now off you go." the dragon said and gave the horse a quick, but light slap, which made it take off.

"Sire!" the men yelled as they hurried their horses to follow their leader.

Left behind were the Mutopians, who couldn't help but chuckle at what they had seen, while Ragnir, on the other hand, was laughing so hard that he was short on air and had tears in his eyes.

"Never in all my years have I seen something like that!" the dwarf said, even applauding a little. "You sure showed that upstart whose in charge here!"

"That's our dad." Freya and Loki said proudly in unison.

"I just hope that it won't get us into trouble with the kingdom." said old George.

"I wouldn't worry about it." said Ragnir. "That kid is such a spoiled brat, you'd never think that he'd ever let go of his mother's teat. He's always trying to prove himself superior to everyone else, gain favour from his father, lord Larkin Byronir, and especially from king Samalor, but the kid's always been more bark than bite. And should he somehow get someone to move against you all, I'll just have a word with the king and that will be it."

"How can you be so certain of that?" asked Leonardo. "Do you know the king?"

"That I do. We used to be part of the same adventuring group back when he was still just a prince, worked together for over ten years, before he had to return and take over the throne. And good old Samalor knows better than to listen blindly to any noble that throws a fit whenever their kids don't get what they want. No need to worry."

"I'll take your word for it, Ragnir." said Tyroth. "But I would still like to know how they found us in the first place. My first guess would probably be some form of scrying magic, if the kingdom have such magic."

"That they do." said Ragnir. "They use it regularly to check on the outlying settlements and borders, since it's so far between them. Best to learn about trouble before they need to send for help."

"That's a good strategy. But regardless, it's clear that we're known to the capital now, and after what just happened, we can only wait and see what they do."

As the riders had now disappeared in the distance, the Mutopians went back to their own tasks, but Tyroth was left with even more to ponder on.

The confirmation of magic to view distant areas did explain how the riders had found them, and it could also explain how Ragnir found them as well, if it wasn't for the fact that he still arrived so shortly after they themselves had arrived in the world. Still far too shortly for him to have started his journey to find them from any of the nearby settlements.

But Ragnir had been nothing but a boon for them ever since he showed up, so despite the suspicious circumstances of his timing, Tyroth was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, at least for the time being. One day, however, he would have to confront the dwarf about it, but they might just have other concerns before that.

**Tyroth and the others continue to work hard, investigating everything that they can find the time for. But now they are clearly know of by others, what will come of this once Velnak returns to the capital? And will Ragnir's connection with the king be of any use.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Summoned**

After meeting with the very pushy Velnak, the days continued as what was the new normal for the Mutopians, and as they moved into the second week of the third summer month, the days grew even warmer, which made all the more important for both people and crops to stay hydrated.

However, not everyone managed as well as the others.

* * *

Inside the inn, Tyroth and James were standing by one of the tables, on which Devina laid sprawled out, her normally pale skin having a much rosier colour.

"Hihihi… I'm melting… I'm melting… I'm gonna be a slushie… yay…" Devina giggled deliriously.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Tyroth asked.

"My knowledge of vampire/werewolf hybrids is… lacking at best, but I think she will pull through without any lasting issues, as long as she gets to cool off." the doctor replied.

"So what are we looking at then? Heatstroke?"

"Something along those lines, I assume. Again, her special nature, especially the undead part, makes her very different from the rest of us, and that's saying something. Regardless, she isn't in her best state of mind right now."

"I can haz cheeseburgers! I c-can haz… all'em cheeseburgerz I wantz!" Devina slurred, flailing her right arm around for a short moment before passing out again.

"So I've noticed. Better put her down in the larder, it's cooler there."

"Agreed."

Said and done, Tyroth picked her up and carried her down to the larder, during which time she regained consciousness again, and giggled like a schoolgirl.

"I'm not that kind of girl… but I can be."

Once she was safely in the larder, Tyroth locked the door behind him, but not before she was able to get one last sentence out.

"Bu-bye, stud! Call me!"

"I'm gonna assume that it's all the heat doing this." Tyroth grumbled as he got back to the ground floor.

"And you would be right." said James. "She seems to be, for all intents and purposes, drunk on sunlight. Probably from working in it for too long."

"She's been trying to help us ever since we got here, and while she's seemed very tired every evening, it didn't seem to have caused her any trouble, despite being part vampire."

"I told her to be careful with the sun and heat, and she promised that she would be. But evidently, she wasn't careful enough, at least not since it got warmer. Must have had a greater impact on her than she thought."

"Better keep an eye on her, so she doesn't do anything stupid in this state. And make sure that she doesn't bite anyone or something."

"I wonder how many other doctors that have to deal with the kinds of patients that I do." James sighed. "I'll check up on her every now and then. And once she's regained her senses, I'll have another talk with her about being careful in the heat."

"And I will try and find something else for her to do."

"Well, sorry to mess up your plans," Ragnir said, having just entered the inn. "but you got other things to do right now."

"Ragnir? What do you mean?" Tyroth asked.

"I just got a message from the king, and he's granted you an audience with him at the castle."

"Already?" James said with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you said it would take eight days to reach the capital, and that Velnak guy only left three days ago."

"Well, it's eight days by foot, less if you go by horse. And if you push them hard enough, you can get from here to the capital in about three days. Messengers usually have horses that can do that. Or they could always use one of these."

From a pouch on his belt, the dwarf pulled out a flat stone half the side of the palm of his hand, with a carving of a face facing left.

"This here is a Sending Stone, and they always comes in pairs. With it you can use the Sending spell, which allows you to send a short message to anyone who has the other half of the pair, no matter where in the world they might be."

"And you just happen to have one?" James asked, holding his chin.

"That I do, and king Samalor has the other one. As soon as I could after Velnak left, I used my stone to send a message to Samalor, giving a short explanation of what happened here, over the last few days at least."

"Right, I remember now." said Tyroth, snapping his fingers. "They can only be used once per day, recharging every dawn."

"That's right, and with a restriction of twenty five words per message, it took a few days to get it all through. At least Samalor knew it's me and could respond through the spell as well, made it all much easier."

"And he wants an audience? With me?" Tyroth asked, wanting to be certain of what the dwarf had said earlier.

"Indeed. You are the leader of this village, after all. The Jarl of Mutopia." Ragnir said in such a way that it sounded more like a quip than a statement, and his grin of a smile didn't sell it as anything else either.

"Fine, guess I should have seen this coming." Tyroth sighed in defeat. "Better prepare for the trip then. I should be able to make it there and back in less than a week if I fly."

"Yeah, that's a big no." Ragnir interjected. "Sure, you could probably do it, but I doubt that they'll even let you through the gates without any form of credentials. They check everyone that comes and goes, and if you're an unknown, you could be there for days before they let you in, especially as you're a half-dragon, they got a pretty bad reputation."

"What do you suggest then?"

"That I come along. All my papers are in order, and I can vouch for you, pull a few strings, and we'll both be in in a few minutes short of half an hour. Besides, you could use a guide in the big city."

"That would be a great help. And I think I should be able to fly there with you too."

"About that, never gonna happen." Ragnir said, crossing his arms. "I got a fear of heights, and flying, from when my group accidentally ticked off a Cloud Giant and he tossed out the window of his castle, which, in case you don't know, was in the CLOUDS, in the SKY!"

The dwarf took a few moments to breath and calm down, as the memories alone had caused him to shake and sweat.

"We'll go with my cart. It will go slightly faster than walking, but we will get there."

"Which means the trip there and back will take nearly three weeks." said James.

"I guess Leo will have his hands full then." Tyroth said with a slight smile. "I hope that he won't run the place into the ground while I'm away. Well, no point in delaying this, I got supplies to pack, and people to talk to before we leave."

"As do I." said Ragnir. "Meet you at the plaza in half an hour?"

"Sounds good."

* * *

"You're leaving? And for a couple of weeks at that?" Sephie said, hoping that she had heard wrong as Tyroth had explained the situation to her and Leonardo in the inn.

"I'm afraid so, love. It's not every day that you get an audience with the ruler of the lands. Besides, this was bound to happen eventually, and since we're living on his land, we might as well try and keep on good terms with the kingdom."

"We understand, Tyroth." said Leonardo. "But I'm not entirely sure that we should trust Ragnir with this. I mean, what evidence do we have that he actually got a message from the king, or even know him?"

"Nothing but his word right now, and I'll admit that the thought have crossed my mind as well. And there are other things that doesn't make sense either." Tyroth said as he kept packing the things he would need. "But so far, he's only been a help to us, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. However, as soon as we're a couple of days away from Mutopia, I'll confront him about it all. So if you see the horizon burning, you know why."

"You sure that you'll be okay, hun? I do not want to risk becoming a widow, I can't take that." Sephie said, and in response, Tyroth cupped her cheeks and looked her in the eyes.

"Don't worry, love. This world might be dangerous, but so am I, and I will be careful. If things get too dicey, I'll fly away quick as the wind."

The two exchanged a kiss, before Tyroth had to start packing.

"I hope that the two of you won't have too much trouble while I'm gone."

"Everyone is pretty much managing on their own at the moment." said Leonardo. "They got used to the work that needed to be done pretty quick, especially you original Mutopians."

"I'm not surprised, they are all pretty self sufficient."

"Oh! Before you leave, love." Sephie quickly hurried off to another room and came back with a small pouch, which she handed to her lover. "Here, I think you should take the gems we have left, in case you need to buy something or find something that we might need here."

"Good thinking, Sephie." said Leonardo. "While he does that, we'll keep the gold, just in case, and the silver, since they're illegal as they are right now. I don't think any traders will come by, but you never know."

"True that. Well, I'd better be going then. Best of luck to you all." Tyroth said, putting the sack he packed over his shoulder.

"You too, love. Come back soon."

* * *

A little while later, Tyroth and Ragnir were on their way to the capital, Berstolia, with the majority of Mutopia seeing them off and wishing them a safe journey.

And as the duo started to vanish from sight in the distance, people returned to their tasks.

But shortly after, Leonardo was approached by Jack.

"Can you believe it, Leo? The boss is off on a diplomatic mission." the wolf said. "Never thought I'd see that."

"Neither did I, Jack. But, it's a new world, with new rules. But I guess that's our life now."

"Speaking of life, I heard that Mikey and Kate have already picked out a house of their own, so I'm guessing they're getting ready for a long life here."

"Is that so?" Leonardo said with a warm smile. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised. Those two are nearly inseparable."

"Yet another thing that I never thought I'd see. Kate getting a boyfriend, that is. But Mikey's a good guy, and it's gotten clear that the two of them do belong together. Bet you're happy for your little brother."

"That I am, Jack. It wasn't an easy start for them, but they prevailed."

"Makes for quite the story. And I bet we'll get even more, especially with how many surprises this world might have in store for us." Jack said and smiled. Then he raised one eyebrow as a thought formed in his mind. "Speaking of surprises, I think I got an idea for something that we can do for the boss."

"Oh? What would that be?"

"Listen to this, how about we gather up some folks, and start working on fixing up a house for Big T and his family? As a surprise."

"That's an excellent idea! And I think I know just the house for them." Leonardo said, snapping his fingers.

"Awesome! Then we just need the right people, and to keep this on the quiet, even from Tyroth's family. Don't wanna spoil the surprise for them either."

"Right. Now let's see here… who would be-"

"Heeeelp!" an all too familiar voice echoed throughout the village, interrupting Leonardo's train of thoughts.

His and Jacks eyes quickly followed the sound to it's source, as did virtually everyone else within earshot, and found it to be a certain rat, who seemed to be stuck at the very top of the large spruce tree that grew in the middle of the plaza.

"Rattletrap?! What's he doing up there?!"

"No idea, Leo. But we'd better try and get him down before someone decides to start throwing stuff at him."

"Right, we don't want him to get hurt."

"Actually, I was thinking so that we don't loose something that we might need in the future."

"… Fair point."

As the duo hurried over to the tree, one thing was certain.

Life would never be boring for the Mutopians.

**Now things are starting to take off, with Tyroth being summoned by the King no less. Wonder if Leo knew that was a possibility when he and the others elected Tyroth their leader? Who knows, but he and Jack seem to have some plans for the future, can't wait to see what they manage to do.**

**And as per usual, Rattletrap keeps getting himself into trouble. The rat just can't catch a break.**

**We'll see when the next chapter comes out, what, with the problems of the world as it is, and more directly, the fact that my trusty old laptop seems to be starting to break down. Hopefully, it's something that some updates or fixes can sort out, otherwise I'll have to get a new one sooner than I would have wanted.  
Regardless, stay safe out there.  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**Berstolia**

The way to Berstolia, the capital of Torgalia, was a long and uneventful one for Tyroth and Ragnir, several days passing by before they even left the great forest, and they were still not even halfway to their location.

Most of the time was filled by Ragnir sharing stories of his many adventures, which Tyroth listened to with great interest, hoping to learn as much of the world as he could through Ragnir's experiences, but the warm days and the rocking of the carriage, not to mention the inactivity, made hard for the dragon not to doze off from time to time.

But as they made camp for the third night, Tyroth decided that it was time to confront the dwarf about the inconsistencies with his story.

"Hey, Ragnir, I've been meaning to ask you something." Tyroth asked, having just lit the campfire.

"Sure thing."

"This is something that I've been thinking about for quite a while. But how did you find us?"

"Didn't I tell you?" Ragnir said, scratching his bearded chin. "I saw the smoke in the distance, and headed toward it. Pretty straight forward."

"Except for the fact that you were already close by. Something that you had no reason to be." Tyroth stated factually. "I've studied the maps you gave us, and this road is the only one that connects Mutopia to the nearby cities, with the only fork on it still days away."

"What are you getting at?"

"When you arrived, we had only been in this world for a couple of days, less than half of which were in the village. To be able to see the smoke from the village, you would have had to have been only a day away.

While that in of itself isn't very strange, it is when you take the distance to everything else into account that things doesn't add up. You told me that you knew that the village was abandoned for the last year, so what reason would you have to even head in its direction? There is nothing past it unless you travel by ship, and there hasn't been any ships in sight for the last weeks we've been there."

Ragnir sat silent, clearly deep in thought after hearing Tyroth's arguments.

"You must have been travelling towards the village for almost a week before we even arrived in this world. Why did you come to us, Ragnir? What are you hiding?"

The dwarf sat silent still, looking into the fire for a while. Then, he suddenly broke into a wide grin.

"Ha! You're a sharp one, ain't you!" he chuckled.

"We had enemies back in our world that could be very cunning, we had to be on our watch."

"Good rule of thumb. But, yeah, you're right, I was heading to Sturmcoast, or Mutopia as you now call it, before you lot even arrived in our world." Ragnir took out a metal flask and took a quick drink from it before continuing. "Tell me, do you believe in visions of the future?"

"To an extent. I think I've had at least one vision in the past." Tyroth said, remembering the almost vision like nightmare he had had when his family had been kidnapped by the Foot. The dragon shuddered at the memory.

"Oh? Did it come true?"

"No, but not because of my interference, or at least I don't think so. We might have been worse off if it had come true, but that's a story for another time."

"Fair enough." Ragnir said with a slight shrug. "Anyway, I wasn't much of a believer of visions in the past, but I've changed my mind since then. You see, there was this wizard that were part of my old party, and she had focused on Divination magic, which had granted her the ability to occasionally gain visions of the future.

Well, roughly a week before you got here, she contacted Samalor and me, telling us of a vision she had received. She told us that she witnessed visitors of unknown origin arriving in Sturmcoast, visitors that could bring great change to the kingdom."

"Good or bad?"

"She couldn't tell, not for the lack of trying. But in my experience, change is always a double-edged sword. It can be either, or both. Whatever the case, I volunteered to investigate, so I left so that I'd arrive around the same time as these visitors, and there I found you guys."

"And you being a merchant, was that just a ruse?"

"Not at all. I needed something to do after we retired as adventurers, so I took up that profession. Not that I needed the money, I'm actually pretty well off after all those years as an adventurer. It's just to keep the boredom at bay."

"Is that all that you've withheld from us, Ragnir?"

"I swear by my ancestors, I have not told you any other lies. But you do understand that I needed to be cautious. We had no way of knowing your intentions beforehand. But after staying with you all for these last days, I'm certain that you are what you claim to be; people just wanting to live their lives."

"And that's what we're trying to do."

"And all the more power to you for that, my friend. Though, I must admit, I was wondering if any of you would figure out the hole in my story."

"I've known something was wrong for a while, but I wanted to be at a safe distance from my people before confronting you."

"In case I was more dangerous than I looked?"

"Yes, and so that I wouldn't risk hurting anyone, or ruining the village, if I had to go all out."

With that, the issue that had plagued Tyroth's mind was settled, but the dragon's last sentence left Ragnir wondering just how strong the dragon actually was.

* * *

Several days later, the duo finally reached the capital.

It was pretty much what Tyroth had expected. A large medieval city of European design, large areas of farmland surrounding it, and tall stone walls with towers circling the core of the city. On the other side of the walls, rooftops of some of the taller buildings inside could be sighted, as well as the might castle that stood in the middle of the city. The size was almost staggering, as the entire village of Mutopia, together with all its surrounding farmland, could easily fit within the city walls, and there would still be plenty of space over. The population of Berstolia had to be in the thousands, possibly even close to ten thousand, if not more.

As they approached the gates, Tyroth noticed just how large the walls actually were, reaching a height of eight metres, with the towers continuing to almost twice the height, while they all had a thickness of five metres, and the gates were composed of three portcullises with thick wooden doors at each side of the wall.

As soon as they reached the gates, they were stopped by one of nearly a dozen guardsmen, asking so see their papers, which Ragnir provided, well, his own at least. Since Tyroth wasn't of that nation, or even that world, he had no proper papers, and just like Ragnir had said before they left Mutopia, the guards wouldn't let him in without them.

The guardsman motioned for the duo to follow him to the sides, while three more guardsmen followed as well, most likely as a precaution as Tyroth was an unknown as well as a 'half-dragon' in their eyes, one with wings and a large sword.

Ragnir did most of the talking, while Tyroth stood to the side, occasionally answering a question or two from the guardsmen, but for the most part, the dragon was left alone, giving him time to take in his surroundings, much as he had done when he was ten years old and his family had moved from Sweden to America. Back then, there was a lot of paperwork that they needed to fill out, and he felt like it took ages, so he entertained himself by looking at other travellers, thinking of where they might be going and where they came from.

Now, he was far more attentive, examining everything and everyone that he could without loosing track of the conversation between Ragnir and the guardsmen.

There were plenty of people coming and going, mostly humans but several other races too, such as Halflings, Gnomes, Dwarves, Elves and more, and as far as he could see, they all looked at him at one point or other.

A mother leaving the city ushers her children to hurry, not letting her scared eyes leave Tyroth for quite some time, while the children looked at him in awe and wonder.

A somewhat grizzled man with a scar across one eye arrived at the gates, and upon seeing Tyroth, the man smiled and gave a nod at the dragon.

Another man was leaving the city, when he spotted Tyroth, the man's eyes going wide and he held up a pendant that was around his neck, most likely a form of holy symbol.

And so many more, all the while, the remaining guardsmen keep throwing glances at the dragon, which was to be expected by a city's protectors, especially since Tyroth was carrying a very large sword. Taking a moment to examine the guardsmen, Tyroth saw that they wore similar equipment to the soldiers that had accompanied Velnak; full metal cuirass, helmets, gauntlets and boots with ringmail and blue tunics, each carrying a sword in their belts, shields on their backs, and halberds in their hands, and what guardsmen that could he could catch glimpses of on top of the walls seemed to have crossbows as well.

"And done." Ragnir says, gaining all of Tyroth's attention, only for the dragon to get a set of papers almost shoved in his hands. "That's your new permit, or, well, your application for it, but it will do for now. We'll see some officials about it before you leave, but right now, we got other things to do."

Following the dwarf as he continued through the gates, Tyroth did not fail to notice that most of the guardsmen still followed him with their eyes. This world was a strange middle-ground between Earth, where people would most likely react to his appearance with fear and anger, and Skyrim, where they mostly looked at him curiously, but as long as they didn't come at him with pitchforks and torches, he wouldn't mind them being suspicious about him, it was only natural.

* * *

Once inside the gates, Tyroth was greeted by the sight of a bustling city.

The buildings were mostly wood and stone, with some being nearly only wood. People of all kinds were walking around, doing business, going somewhere, meeting friends, everything one would think normal to a medieval city of this size.

Market stalls, both permanent and temporary ones made on top of carriages, littered the sides of the larger roads, the merchants selling all kinds of wares, ranging from tools, weapons and armour, to spices, food and clothes, and so much more.

As Tyroth and Ragnir made their way towards the castle, people gave the small group a wide berth, everyone at the very least throwing a glance at the dragon and at the most outright staring at him. But Tyroth tried to not care, hoping that they would start to relax a bit if he just didn't gave them any more reasons to fear him. Until then, they could stare as much as they wanted.

However, after a short walk, it was Tyroth's turn to stare, in a mix of shock, disbelief and disgust.

Standing on a wooden platform off to the side were several people, most of which were dressed in rags and had iron manacles around their wrists and ankles, as well as iron collars linked together with chains, all while they were guarded by a pair of armed men in dark clothes, and fat woman in expensive looking clothes bellowed about how well trained the shackled people were.

'Slaves?! They're selling slaves?!' were Tyroth's first thoughts as he recovered from the shock, and his rage stared boiling violently. But before he could do anything, he felt Ragnir pulling on his arm, rather strongly too.

"Not here." the dwarf whispered and hurried on, pulling the dragon along.

Tyroth wasn't sure what was actually going on, but he did like the dwarf told him, after all, he didn't want to cause a scene, especially not one that could get people to see him as a threat. Despite that, however, he just couldn't shake what he had seen. Slavery wasn't really a rare thing back in the time of medieval Earth, but that was almost a thousand years ago. To see it in person like that, hurt Tyroth to the core, as he was a firm believer of justice, and slavery had no trace of justice.

A part of him wanted nothing more than to attack the people selling the slaves, and free those poor souls from their imprisonment, but he couldn't. He had to force himself to remember that the laws in this world were most likely very different from what they were used to.

* * *

Some twenty minutes later, Tyroth and Ragnir arrive at the castle, an impressive building that easily towers over all other structures in the city. One could probably see a great distance from any of its five tall towers or the even taller, central keep.

Approaching the large doors, a couple of guardsmen instantly barred their way with their halberds, but once they saw Ragnir, they withdrew their weapons and apologised, allowing both the dwarf and the dragon to enter the castle, thought they still kept a close eye on Tyroth.

'They clearly know him from before.' Tyroth thought to himself. 'Further evidence that he truly knows the king.'

Being led through the castle's various areas, Tyroth, having never been in a proper castle before, was amazed with how big it actually was, even though they only walked through a select few parts of it. All of the Mutopians could fit inside and probably be so spread out that they would never see another.

Despite that, there were few areas where the two were alone for long. Servants of all kinds were running errands, and guardsmen were on patrol, though a lot of them greeted or nodded at Ragnir when they passed him.

A short while later, they arrived at a door, which Ragnir gave a few quick knocks before entering, not even waiting for a confirmation from inside.

It was a large, square room without windows, fairly well decorated with tapestries, banners, paintings and more. A large table with several chairs stood in the middle, and a queen size bed on one side of the room, as well as an open fire place on the opposite side, just as there was a desk flanked by a pair of bookshelves on the opposite side of the door.

Standing by the desk was an elder man, bald with a long, white beard and dressed in grey robes, holding several books and scrolls against his chest while he talked with another man, this one sitting at the desk.

Both of them turned their heads to the door when they heard the knocking, and the sitting man smiled when he saw who it was.

"Ah, it would seem that I have visitors." he said and turned to the old man. "We'll continue this later."

"Of course, your highness." the old man say as he bows and leaves, while also giving a small bow to Ragnir as he pass by. "Master Ragnir."

As soon as the door closed behind them, the man rose to his feet, letting Tyroth get a good look at him. He was of average height and build, with blue eyes, short brown hair and beard, and wearing loose fitting clothes in blue silk with gold embroidery, a red cape and a gold crown with a diamond in the centre.

The smile quickly broadened into more of a grin, and Ragnir was already grinning as he hurried over and the two met in a big hug.

"Welcome back, Ragnir! It's been far too quiet without you here."

"Glad to be back, Sammy." Ragnir said as they broke the hug.

"And this must be the… half-dragon I've heard about." Samalor said as his eyes landed on Tyroth.

"That's right." said Ragnir, clearing his throat. "King Samalor, allow me to introduce Tyroth, Jarl of Mutopia."

"Jarl you say? Well then, it seems that we have quite a lot to discuss then."

"That we have, and I have gotten even more questions since arriving." said Tyroth.

**How did this get so long?! I had my notes, composed of seven key points that I wanted to add, and I only managed two!?  
Some times, things just runs amuck I guess.  
Here's hoping the remaining five points don't give the same result.  
**

**Regarding the 'vision' Tyroth mentioned that he had had, it was the nightmare about his sister being forced into telling the Foot about Mutopia in my story 'A Sister's Plight'.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**The Grand Audience**

Before Tyroth could start asking his questions, Samalor insisted to know more of the dragon and his people, which was a fair request. But before they got to that, Samalor had some servants bring them food to eat, as he figured that both Ragnir and Tyroth would be hungry after their long trip.

It only took a few minutes before the servants returned, plates in hand, all covered with cheese, bread, roasted and dried meats, fruits and bottles of wine and ale, which they quickly placed on the table.

Tyroth couldn't deny that the food both looked and smelled delicious, but he couldn't help but wonder if it was meant to distract him. He wasn't worried about the food being poisoned or drugged, his healing ability could handle that, but if anyone thought that he could be bought with gifts and food, they were dead wrong. Still, he was hungry, and it would be rude to decline the offer.

The three sat down and began eating, all while Tyroth explained where he and the others came from, the same story that he had told Ragnir.

* * *

"My, my… that's quite some story." Samalor said, taking a sip of his wine and flipping another few pages in the DnD books that Tyroth had brought with him.

"Told you it was a special one." said Ragnir as he took a big bite of grilled chicken.

"Indeed, and I do believe that it has answered most of my questions. And I'm sure that Tyroth has some questions of his own."

"You're not wrong, and I will get straight to the point." Tyroth said. "Why do you allow slavery?"

Upon hearing that question, the others went silent and Samalor's face fell, his previously glad expression replaced by one that was sad and concerned.

"He saw some slaves being sold on the way here." said Ragnir. "We couldn't avoid it."

"That is… unfortunate." Samalor said, pinching his nose ridge.

Uncertain what to expect, Tyroth tensed, ready to defend himself if things turned ugly.

"But it cannot be helped." Samalor finally said, looking up at Tyroth again. "It is a dark blotch of shame on our kingdom, but sadly, it is also far more commonplace than it should be. It is something that I wish rid ourselves of."

"Then why haven't you?"

"I wish it was that easy, but things are… complicated."

"You see, big guy..." Ragnir cut in. "Even though Sammy is the king, he doesn't have all the power in the kingdom."

"Over the ages, this kingdom has faced many hardships, and many times we've only persevered due to certain individuals rising to the occasion. Commonly, such actions were rewarded by raising them to nobility, something that still runs in their families. Such nobles, especially those of several generations, have gathered soldiers of their own that they lend to the national army for defence, personal armies.

However, as time went on, the nobles and their forces grew, and now they stand for four fifths of Torgalia's army. If they wanted to, they could take over the nation, but as it is now, they are divided, with slightly more than half of them supporting the throne, while the rest openly oppose my rule, but still fall in line since they are not strong enough to take the power."

"And that prevents you from banning slavery?" Tyroth asked.

"In a way, yes. Ever since I inherited the throne, I have brought several changes to our kingdom, changes that have both lost me the support of some nobles, while gaining it from others. And I fear that banning slavery, as much as I would love to, would turn far more against me, possibly even enough for my opponents to try and usurp me. If that were to happen, things might become even worse than they already are."

"So that's how it is, huh?"

"Indeed. And to be fair, slavery has only been a thing for a few generations, a by-product of something that was meant to help the impoverished; indentured servitude. Anyone in dire need could 'sell' themselves to someone else, serving them in return for being cared for. It was a good idea, at least in theory, but it didn't take long before someone started to use the system for personal gain. I believe it took less than a decade before the first slaves were sold, and despite my ancestors' best efforts to root it out, slavery is still very much a fact of life. At first, they were hidden, sold on the black market, then as if they were actual 'servants', and now, they are sold in broad daylight."

"And there's nothing you can do?"

"Sadly, no. While we've tried our best, slavery is still legal, though I have managed to at least make some progress against it, even though it cost me the support of quite a few nobles. As it is right now, it possible to within the law hunt the actual slavers, those that actively capture people to sell. And those that do own slaves are required to treat them well, though I'm certain that several still don't."

"Never a dull moment when you're in charge." Ragnir sighed.

"Tell me about it." Tyroth and Samalor said at the same time, to which they both looked at each other before chuckling a little.

"It may not have been the answer you were looking for, but it is the best I can offer." Samalor continued.

"As long as you don't condone it, I guess it's… acceptable, I suppose." Tyroth said.

"I promise you, I'm doing everything I can to rid us of this menace without making things worse.

But enough about that for now, I'm sure that you have other things that you would like to discuss."

"Yes, well, where to start… there is still quite some work to be done on the village, even with all the work we've already put into it, and there will be a need to buy supplies of varying kind sooner or later."

"Understandable, and I'm certain that you can find what you need here."

"I hope so. However, there's one other thing that is more pressing. We may have taken the village as our own, but it is still a part of your kingdom, something that we were reminded of when one of your nobles arrived and demanded we swore fealty to you."

"My nobles… ah, yes, Velnak Byronir. I remember his report, and his complaints. Not entirely sure how he learned about you in the first place, though."

"That brat probably stuck his ears where they don't belong. Like always." Ragnir scoffed. "Trying to do good for his own gain."

"Regardless, we are still living on your land." Tyroth continued. "It's ultimately up to you if we are allowed to do so, and if not, we will leave, though reluctantly."

"There is no need for that." Samalor said with a kind smile. "You and your people are more than welcome to stay, either in the village or even here in Berstolia if you so wish."

"But what about taxes? It wouldn't be right for us to live off your lands without paying for it, but we don't really have any money to spare."

"Just how much do you have?"

"Around forty gold collectively, give or take."

"That's hardly enough for a single person to get by on, let alone a village with your population."

"And we're not making any kind of money either. What little we have would only trade hands with no real gain for the village as a whole. The only way for us to gain any income is if traders arrive to buy what we have produced, but all of that goes to our own survival right now."

"I see." Samalor said, holding his chin as he was deep in thought. "Well, regarding the taxes, I am willing to allow your people to not have to pay any until your society have grown strong enough to support such expenses. As for your current economical state..."

Samalor got up from the table and walked over to the bed and knelt by the side of it. With a simple motion, he opened a previously hidden compartment in the bed, and pulled out a bag the size of Tyroth's fist, which he handed to the dragon as he sat back down at the table.

"That should help."

Weighing the bag in his hand, Tyroth could hear the clinking of coins, and when he opened it his eyes went wide. Easily a hundred silvery coins, but it couldn't be that simple.

"Are these… platinum?" he asked.

"That is correct. Two hundred platinum coins."

"But isn't platinum worth ten times as much as gold?"

"Also correct."

Tyroth couldn't believe it. The king himself just gave him coins worth two thousand gold. If memory served, and the prices in the books were accurate, they could buy ten elephants with that much money.

Elephants!

And Samalor just handed that out like it was a postcard.

"This is just too much. I can't accept it."

"Nonsense. You will need the money for your village, and that is just a small token from me."

"Even so, it's not right to accept the kingdom's money just like this."

"Oh, don't worry about that. If I were to give away coin from the royal treasury, there would be an uproar without its like. No, those coins are from my personal funds, treasure that I, Ragnir and our old friends collected during our travels in the past, and I insist that you take them."

Looking back down on the bag of coins, Tyroth thought about it all for a moment before closing the bag and securing it on his belt.

"On behalf of my people, I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

"Hold that thought for just a moment." Samalor said, and turned to Ragnir. "You've lived with them for quite some time now, you know what they are lacking, so before our guest leaves for home, I want you to take Tyroth to the markets and purchase what they need. Food, tools, materials, medicines, animals, everything."

"You got it!"

"Wait! Hold on!" Tyroth interjected. "What's going on? I thought the money you gave me was for that purpose."

"In the future, yes, if you want to use it for that. Otherwise, feel free to spend it on whatever you want. Gifts, personal items, candy, whatever you would like."

"And I take it that these gifts are also from your personal funds." Tyroth sighed.

"Very much so, yes. And once your village has grown, we will start discussing a working economy and reasonable taxes."

"You are too kind, perhaps even too kind."

"I suppose that can be discussed. But before we're done, there is still one more thing that we need to attend." At that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Ah, impeccable timing. Enter!"

"You called for me to arrive at this hour, my king." a man in fine clothes said as he entered the room, bowing deeply from before he even opened the door, and still bowing deeply as he waited for a response.

"That I did, and you arrived just on time." Samalor said. "I believe you have already met our esteemed guest, the Jarl of Mutopia, Tyroth."

"I'm afraid that you are mistaken, my king. I have never heard of such a place, much less-" the man raised his head mid-sentence, and stopped mid-sentence as well when he saw Tyroth, the eyes of both of them wide as they both recognised each other. "The half-dragon!?"

"Well, this was a surprise. Didn't think I would run into you so soon, Goldilocks." Tyroth said.

"My name is Velnak Byronir!" the man snarled, and quickly turned his attention to the king again. "My king, this… this lowly creature, cannot be allowed to remain in the castle."

"Why not? You're here after all." Ragnir cut in, and both Tyroth and Samalor had to focus not to laugh.

"Tyroth is here on my invitation," Samalor said. "and I know very well what your report said about him and his people, but both he and Ragnir here have given me reports that contradict your. As to why I summoned you here…"

Samalor turned to Tyroth.

"From what I have gathered, you and your people are the injured part of Velnak's actions, so it isn't more than right that you get to decide what punishment he should receive."

Velnak's eyes widened when he heard that, and Tyroth couldn't have suppressed the smirk that crept upon his lips if he wanted to. The dragon locked eyes with the terrified nobleman, the smirk never leaving his face as he thought long and hard.

"I have to ask, are executions something that you do here?" he asked casually, which caused Velnak's heart to skip a beat.

"It's a rare occurrence, but it does happen, though I think that is a little too extreme in this case."

"Just curious. But I do think I know a fitting punishment for him. I want him to live and work with us in Mutopia, without all the perks that he is accustomed to, for a whole year."

"As a commoner then? Yes, I can see that being a suitable punishment for his actions. A humbling experience in humility and compassion."

"But, my king…?!" Velnak interjected, only to be completely ignored.

"Then it is decided. You are to report to Mutopia before four weeks have passed, and you will work alongside them and just as hard as they do, for one whole year."

"I-I-I… yes, my king..." Velnak finally said, bowing again though not as deeply. "Now… if you would excuse me… it seems that I have a lot to prepare…"

With a final bow, Velnak left the room.

"Ha! It's going to be a treat watching that whelp get his hands dirty!" Ragnir chuckled. "He's always despised manual labour and those that perform it."

"I got a similar feeling from him back when he arrived in our village. I just hope that I don't make an enemy of his father now."

"I wouldn't worry about that." said Samalor. "Lord Larkin Byronir will most likely agree that his son could use some discipline, and what you have suggested is probably far kinder than anything he himself would do."

"I'll take your word for it." Tyroth said. "But I think it's high time that I head back to Mutopia, I've been away for far too long."

"Afraid that they'll get attacked by something?" Samalor asked.

"Exactly, and also for any mischief a certain few of them might get up to, and the problems that'll cause."

"Still, it will take at least one week to get back, and it is pretty late in the day now, so you might as well postpone your trip until tomorrow. I mean, you haven't gotten your supplies yet, and just how much trouble can they get into in just one more day."

"You don't wanna know…"

**Finally got this chapter done. It took a while, especially since I had to buy a new laptop mid chapter to replace my old, failing one. However, the old one served me well for over five years, so let's all give a silent minute for good old 'Rewind'. You left some big shoes to fill for the new laptop.**

**...**

**Next time, we'll see what happens now that Tyroth is in the capitol. Maybe we'll even have a look back at Mutopia and see how they are doing.  
But no promises.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**On The Way Home**

The next day, after having stayed the night in the castle, Tyroth set out together with Ragnir to do some shopping for Mutopia as soon as the market area opened, right after a hefty breakfast.

Once the duo arrived at the market area, Ragnir told Tyroth that the dragon could wander around on his own if he wanted to, as long as he didn't start any trouble, and they would meet up outside the gates that they arrived at the day before.

While Tyroth wasn't too exited to walk around alone, if there was one thing that he had missed from being human, it was going to fairs and the like. In his younger days, he had loved strolling through fairs, looking at all the strange and curious items that people were selling.

It was slightly against his better judgement, but Tyroth agreed with Ragnir, and the two parted company for the time being.

* * *

People continued to look anxiously at Tyroth as he walked around, but he tried not to let it affect him. As long as he behaved himself, nothing bad would happen, or at least so he hoped. At the very least, since everyone gave him a wide berth, the risk of falling victim to pickpockets was very low.

While looking through all the things that were for sale, he also took his time to keep an eye on the populace, trying to get a grip on the general populace. From what he could see, the vast majority was human, roughly ninety percent, give or take, and most of them were white, though there were plenty of the other colours as well across all the social levels.

Of the remaining ten percent, about half seemed to be the shorter folks; dwarves, gnomes and halflings, while the last group mostly consisted of elves and/or half-elves, and a small group of all kinds of people, ranging from half-orcs, dragonborns, and tieflings, to very obscure humanoids like minotaurs, tritons, tabaxi, and even the odd loxodon, or elephant-people.

Just as Tyroth had hoped, the very nature of a DnD world, with its many sentient species, would allow the Mutopians to coexist with the natives, even if it might be somewhat strained.

As he continued walking, he soon found himself by a stall that was selling clothes and fabrics, but it was the people running the stall that had caught his attention. They were Asian, or whatever the counterpart in that world was, and as Tyroth thought about it, they were the first ones that he had seen.

Ragnir had said that there was some bad blood between Torgalia and the Empire of Kiosho, and the Empire had been described as being very Japanese or Chinese-like. Maybe the people that lived there also looked like Asians, and didn't venture into Torgalia often, either by choice or due to hostilities. However, the salesmen didn't seem to attract much attention, but that could be because of Tyroth himself drawing all of it.

Deciding to move on, there was one article of clothing that caused him to remain for a moment longer, a straw hat. Low with an inclined rim, almost the spitting image of how the turtles had described the hats of the Foot Elite, which at least three of the brothers had supposedly shown an interest in.

A smile crept upon Tyroth's lips.

"Excuse me." Tyroth said as he approached one of the salesmen and pointed at the hat. "Do you have any more of this?"

"Yes. Many, many more." the salesman said cautiously, his English, or Common, heavily broken by another predominate language. "Very good against sun, protect head."

"I'd like to buy, let's see… thirty of them."

Upon saying that, Tyroth was met with wide eyes and rapid talking between the salesmen in what sounded very Japanese, and that would have been next to impossible to understand even in his own language.

Eventually, they seemed to calm down, and Tyroth could finally pay for the hats, as well as to have them delivered to Ragnir's cart, together with some large rolls of silk clothe. Despite it being what felt like an expensive purchase, it took a very small toll of the funds that he had been given.

And with that out of the way, Tyroth continued his stroll through the city.

* * *

Some time later, and with a bag full of smaller items he thought they would need in Mutopia, Tyroth was on his way to where he and Ragnir would meet. As he did, however, he passed by a place that he had rather avoided completely.

A familiar voice was bellowing from the same platform as the day before, as the fat woman was still trying to sell her slaves.

Tyroth's stomach twisted in disgust at the mere thought of slavery, let alone that slaves were being sold so openly. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't, he just couldn't turn a blind eye to this kind of injustice, but what could he do about it? It was still legal, and if he tried to free the slaves, he'd technically be breaking the laws, it would probably be considered stealing.

Trying to figure out some way to help the poor souls, his eyes wandered over them. There were only three left, and not recognising any of them, he assumed that all that he saw last time had been sold. The three that remained were all young women, dressed in rags just as those before them and with manacles and collars chained together, and flanked by a couple of what Tyroth assumed were the woman's personal soldiers.

Looking the slaves over from a distance, there was one thing that caught Tyroth's eyes, namely the edges of the tips of their ears were all red, and when Tyroth focused on that he soon saw why, they had been cut off. That's when he realised that the three were not human, but elven, the similarities with Zaleria becoming clear.

Judging by how long ears Zaleria had, it looked like these poor elves had had almost half of their eras cut off, meaning that not only have they been enslaved, but they have been mutilated too. Probably out of spite, prejudice or to exert dominance.

Looking around, mostly to see if he could get an idea on what to do, Tyroth spotted a couple of solider dressed the same way as those that guarded the slaves the last time the dragon saw this place. There were three of them, all sitting around a table behind the platform, seemingly off duty at the moment, and they seemed to be talking. And that gave Tyroth an idea.

Moving as close to the soldiers as he could without drawing too much attention to himself, he leaned against a wall and began eating some fruit that he had bought, hopping to look like he was only taking a break from his shopping. For a good fifteen minutes, he focused on listening in on the soldiers, and for the most part, what they said was little of interest to him, but eventually…

"Gee, the boss still hasn't sold those sluts?" said one soldier. "We've been trying for, what, a couple of months now."

"Tell me about it." said a second soldier. "No other slave have taken this long. And I thought that someone would want them, at the very least as a personal toy."

"Guess no one here wants elves then." said the first one. "Probably have to cut them loose then, if the boss can't sell them soon."

"No complaints from me, I can't stand those knife-eared freaks." the second one responded. "I know a few good alleys where we can dump the remains."

"Shut your trap!" the third one cut in. "If anyone discovers that, the boss will kill us!"

Shaking, Tyroth reached for his sword, wanting nothing more than to cut down these lowlifes, but he forced himself to calm down, and clean what was once an apple, but now more resembled apple-sauce, from his hand. He didn't have to read between the lines to figure out that they were going to kill the poor elves, and he wasn't going to let that happen, but he couldn't just go on a rampage, no matter how much some people deserved it. He needed to be far more tactical about how he dealt with this.

After thinking hard, he came to the conclusion that there was only one way to save them, that didn't include violence in any way, justified or otherwise, and he didn't like it, but he had no other choice.

Steeling himself, he walked over to the platform again, and spoke to the fat woman.

"How much for the three elves?" he asked, the words leaving a sour taste in his mouth and his stomach twisting in disgust. The fat woman, on the other hand, was more than happy.

"A mere fifty gold each, one hundred and fifty for all three. Barely a paltry sum." she said with a wide grin.

That would be fifteen platinum coins, affordable but still a lot of money, and Tyroth wasn't sure just how much a slave was worth, it wasn't anything he would ever even consider.

"That does seem a bit expensive to me. They don't really look all that good from here. Can I have a closer look?"

"By all means. Inspect the goods. I'm sure you'll find them of good standard."

Stepping up on the platform, Tyroth approached the three elves, finally getting a good look at them. From ground level, it had looked like their shoulder long hair had been black, but there was actually only one of them that had it, while the other two had very dark green and blue hair respectively. The ones with black and blue hair had the same silvery eyes as Zaleria, while the one with green hair had eyes like pools of gold.

The three recoiled ever so slightly as Tyroth approached them, but a stern look from the woman selling them quickly caused them to stand nearly absolutely still while Tyroth reluctantly inspected them, and he did not like what he saw.

The cuts on their ears were jagged and uneven, as if someone had used a dull knife to do the deed, and the wounds, while decently healed, showed signs of dirt and possibly infection. The metal shackles had left red marks and their wrists, ankles and necks, with a few small areas being open wounds, and sighted just under the edges of the rags they wore, were numerous bruises, some old and nearly healed, and some far newer.

Again, Tyroth's hand wanted to reach for the sword, to cleave the wretched excuse for a human in half and rid the world of her, but he restrained himself once again, if just barely.

"I think the price is a bit too high." he said. "If you are willing to go down to an even one hundred gold, however, we have a deal."

"Hmm… I usually don't do discounts…" the fat woman said, holding her chin for a moment. "But, since they are the last batch… sure, it's a deal!"

Counting up ten platinum coins, Tyroth placed them in the palm of the fat woman, whose face was a horrible mixture of a child overjoyed at a gift and a miser scamming someone off of their last money. No sooner had she put the coins in a pouch on her side, than she handed over the end of the chain that connected the women together.

"One more thing." Tyroth said before the fat woman could excuse herself. "Is there a key to the manacles and collars?"

Her face twisted to one of annoyance, and she dug up a key from her pockets, which she tossed to Tyroth.

"To the manacles. But there's no key for the collars, can't have them think they'll ever be their own persons again, now can we?" she said smugly.

A low growl escaped Tyroth's lips, and he promised himself that he would take her down one day, but not then and there.

"Let's go. We've got a long trip ahead of us." he said to the elves and gently tugged on the chain, to which they reluctantly, yet obediently, followed.

* * *

A little while later, Tyroth passed through the gates and met with Ragnir.

Ragnir was leaning against his cart, his trusty old ox already yoked and ready to move out. However, tied to the back of the cart were two horses, that themselves were yoked to another cart, and tied to the back of that cart were two cows and two bulls, which all in turn pulled yet another cart. Spread across the two carts, in spacious cages with roofs for protection against the sun were six pigs, eight goats, and at least two dozen chickens and a rooster.

And aside from all those animals, there were several crates, barrels and sacks that were most likely filled with all sorts of other things.

Seeing Tyroth, the dwarf was about to greet the dragon, but stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the chained elves.

"Not now." Tyroth said in a low voice, similar to how Ragnir did it back when they first saw slavery in the city, so the dwarf knew something was up and let it slide, for now at least.

Once the duo and the elves were seated in the cart, they began the long journey to Mutopia, in silence.

* * *

Several hours later, they stopped by a small stream to take a short break and let the animals rest a little. And at that point, Ragnir couldn't keep quiet any longer.

"Okay, what's going on? When we arrived in Berstolia, you were appalled at the mere sight of slaves being sold, and then you go and buy some of your own?! I saw those poor girls on my way back to the cart."

"I'll explain everything shortly, Ragnir. But there's one thing I have to do first, and it might just give you the answer." Tyroth said and walked off.

The elves were sitting in silence, carefully eating the food that they had been given, as if afraid to eat more than they were allowed. When Tyroth approached them, they all tensed up.

"M-master?" the black haired one said in a quivering voice.

"Just hold still for a moment." Tyroth said softly as he knelt by her side and took a firm grip on the collar.

His mana was channelled into his index finger, making it glow red, the tip growing longer and sharp as a blade. The elf stiffened and screwed her eyes shut tight, her breathing turned shallow and quick, then she felt a weight being removed from her neck. As she opened her eyes, she saw the collar, cut open, laying to the side of Tyroth as he was using the key to unlock the manacles.

"There, that should make it more comfortable for you." Tyroth said, rising to his feet and moving over to the other elves and repeating the process.

All three of them were left completely speechless by this act, and while Tyroth freed the remaining elves, the first one felt where the collar had been with trembling hands, as if afraid that it was only an illusion. Wincing at the touch of her fingers on the sores, she was convinced that it was real.

"W-why…?" she asked in a weak voice as Tyroth had removed the last of the manacles and collars from the others.

"I am not your master. I'm no one's master, and I never want to be. Slavery is wrong, and something that I will fight against whenever I get the chance. The only reason that I resorted to buying you three from that wretched creature, was so I could save your lives and set you free."

"F-free…? We're… free?" the golden eyed elf asked.

"Yes, you are free to live your own lives however you wish. And if you'll let us, my friends and I will take care of you until you've recovered from this ordeal. After that, you are all welcome to stay in our village for as long as you like."

The three elves exchanged looks, as if wanting to confirm that it was true. Then, the black haired elf started crying, tears streaming down her cheeks, with the other two following shortly after.

"No one… no one has shown us… such kindness for so long…" she sobbed. "This… what you have done for us… what you have given us… we can never repay you…"

"And you don't have to." Tyroth said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "All I ask is that you all try to live a good life, and we will all help you reach that goal."

"Thank you… thank you so much…"

Over by the carts, Ragnir watched the whole thing, and smiled.

**Finally done with this one, and I must say, I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.  
****Next time, we'll return to the new Mutopia, and see just how the inhabitants have been doing.**

**On a small note, all turtles except for Leo, who was unconscious at the time, complimented the hats of the Foot Elite, and now they will get some of their own. :)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Homecoming**

Several days had passed, and finally the small caravan was nearly at Mutopia again, after having been away for a little more than two weeks. While the travels had been very uneventful, Tyroth still longed to be home again, and especially to see his beloved family again.

As they left the deep forest behind, the group could see the outermost farms ahead of them, and they were looking better tended to than when they had left, if only a little, which was still commendable since there were only so many of them and far more work.

But something felt off with the scenery, and after a short moment looking around, both Ragnir and Tyroth found what it was. Just past the outermost farms was a new building, rising ever so slightly above the nearby houses and barns.

A simple watchtower, just over six meters tall.

"Seems your people have been busy while we were away." Ragnir said as he steered his ox down the road.

"So it seems. I wonder what else has been going on around here while we were away."

"I guess you'll find out shortly, lad."

And Ragnir wasn't wrong, for as they made their way to the square, the inhabitants quickly swarmed around them, happy to see their leader again, and curious to see what they had brought with them.

"Welcome back, boss!" Cam the Rhino greeted Tyroth as the latter stepped down from the cart. "We've missed you."

Suddenly, Sephie came and threw her arms around Tyroth's neck, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Some more than others…" Cam continued.

"So I've noticed." Tyroth chuckled as he returned the hug to his mate. "I got a lot to tell you all over dinner later, but you also have some stuff to explain to me, like that tower back there."

"That would be my idea." Rattletrap said proudly.

"Only in so much that you inspired it when you got stuck at the top of the spruce tree in the square." said Leonardo.

"What was he doing up there?" Tyroth asked Leonardo, completely ignoring the now complaining rat.

"He claims that he wanted to get a good look of the area, though I have my doubts. Still, after that, we figured that a watchtower could be a great benefit, as an early warning system. We're still working on a schedule for it, but it's something at least."

"Seems like you can handle things well, Leo."

"If I have to, just don't think about going on vacation any time soon."

"Wasn't expecting any. But I do have someone that I'd like everyone to meet." Tyroth turned back to the cart. "Come on, ladies, we've arrived."

It was at that moment that the Mutopians noticed the three elves in the cart, who had hid in the cart and just now peeked over the edge of it.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, we're all friends here." Tyroth assured them as he helped them out of the cart. And almost instantly the gathered people started asking questions all at once.

"Who are they?"

"What are they?"

"Where did you find them?"

And so many more.

"Please, calm down." Tyroth said. "I'll explain all in greater detail soon, just know that they were in need of aid and I helped them. And they are still in need of some medical attention, so James will have to take care of them shortly."

"Don't worry, I'll do my best." the chimpanzee said as he stepped forward. "Follow me, I got my clinic nearby."

The elves were a bit hesitant, but after being reassured by Tyroth, they followed James where he led them.

While they were taken care of, Tyroth and Ragnir started to distribute all the things that they had bought.

* * *

James' clinic was little more than a room in his house that was cleaner than the rest of it, with the basic medical equipment that he had brought with him, though he lamented that he didn't have anything better now that he might actually need it.

"Okay, please sit down, and I'll examine you one at a time." James said as he gestured to some chairs.

"Are… are you a healer?" one of the elves asked.

"Of a sort. I am a doctor. I use medicines and treatments, rather than magic, like you might be more used to for all I know. But with or without magic, I will do all in my might to help you recover." Picking up a clipboard and a pencil from his desk. "Now, if I can just have your names and how old you are, I will begin the examinations."

The three elves exchanged confused looks, but complied, if a bit hesitant.

"Um… my name is Mialeth. I am seventy five years." said the elf with black hair.

"I am called… Valynore… forty nine years." said the blue haired one.

"… and… I am… Inayra… twenty two…" said the green haired one.

James just stared blankly at the elves. Shaking his head to snap himself out of the state, he looked back at his chipboard.

"Right, elven names. I should have known." he muttered to himself. "Since I know that I'll most likely misspell and mispronounce those names, I'll just settle for calling you Mia, Val and Ina. At least for now."

* * *

A little while later, Tyroth arrived at the clinic, and found James looking over his notes with a troubled look on his face, while the elves sat on the chairs eating some fruit.

"Problems, James?" the dragon asked, causing the chimpanzee to jump a little.

"Only retroactively, so to speak." he sighed. "Let's discuss this in private."

Stepping outside for a while, James sighed even louder before he spoke.

"There really are some horrible people in this world." he began. "During my examination, I asked them my standard questions. Names, age, cause of injuries, and I can barely believe what they told me."

"Start from the beginning, please."

"Alright. First, they have are quite diverse in their age, the youngest being only twenty two, followed by forty nine and seventy five, not at all what I expected. None of them look above thirty."

"Elves do live longer than humans, some can even reach a thousand years, so this is very young from their point of view. Unless I'm mistaken, these are basically seen as teenagers or young adults among their people."

"All the worse for them then, I'm afraid." James continued. "I had no idea that I was dealing with former slaves, it really caught me off guard, as did how easily they shared this information with me. According to them, they were captured a few years ago, and imprisoned in an unknown location, where they were mistreated and abused daily, 'conditioning' it was called apparently, before they were sold off to the woman that you bought them from."

"I had no choice. From what I heard, they would have been killed if they hadn't been sold. I couldn't just leave them to their fate."

"Trust me, I don't blame you, and you don't have to explain anything to me."

"But I will, and I will do it for all to hear at dinner. There is still much to discuss."

"I can imagine. But getting back on topic, the wounds that we can see on them are only the more recent ones, and while they claim to have had some bones broken, particularly finger bones and ribs, I could not find any evidence of it. But it's the ears that really makes me angry with all this, more than the rest at least."

"So there's more than just some form of prejudice or racism?"

"It is outright an act of pure cruelty. They cut off a small part of the ears, less than a quarter of an inch, but only on one ear at a time, then when that had healed for about two weeks, they cut off another piece from the other ear, then repeat the process. Then they 'evened out' the ears before selling the poor girls."

"Bastards!" Tyroth growled loudly. "I should have gutted that… monster when I had the chance."

"I doubt anyone here would have objected. But to summarise, they have a large amount of bruises and wounds, some older and some still very fresh, with several minor infections, they are also starved, bordering to malnourished."

"So what do you recommend?"

"Most of the injuries will have to heal on their own, but I can help clean the infected wounds and properly bandage them. Other than that, some rest and food, and they will recover in time, though they should be careful not to eat too much until they've adjusted to a more normal sized diet."

"So no lingering issues?"

"None that I've found so far, and for that I'm happy. But that actually brings me to another thing that I need to talk to you about."

"Barely back, and already back at work…" Tyroth sighed. "Well, let's hear it then."

"I don't really have any better way to formulate this, but what should we do about the 'new' Mutopians?"

"New Mutopians?" Tyroth asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I know! It's not the best way to word it, and I mean no offence by it, but it's no less true. You and me, and most of the others, we're all 'true' Mutopians, the originals, in the sense that we've been mutated by the water, while the others have not. Your parents, April, Casey, the turtles, Monalisa, Splinter, Kemeko, Pandora, Jake, Devina, and now Ragnir and the elves, none of them have drunk the water, and are all thus 'new' Mutopians. And that is just the issue."

"That they are not mutated by the water?"

"Yes, or rather, it is because they can not drink the water without mutating. Look, all us 'true' Mutopians heal faster, and in dire situations we can use the water to completely heal ourselves. The others don't have that luxury, at least not without mutating, and that's just the humans. We still have no idea what will happen to those that used to be human, or never were human to begin with. And with how limited my tools and supplies are in this world, the water could mean the difference between life and death, if it works the same, which we don't know."

"You're worried that your skills won't be enough."

"In a way, I suppose. Look, I know that I'm a good doctor, but there's only so much I can do, especially without proper tools. The water we brought with us, while limited and with a heavy cost, is a guaranteed way to save lives, but it is still a very extreme solution."

"We need something of a middle ground." Tyroth mused. "Devina possess healing magic, limited perhaps but still something to consider. Maybe she could help you."

"That is an option, one that I hadn't even considered. I guess I still haven't accepted magic as a tool for healing, despite the water that we've been using being magical as well."

"This world has a lot more magic than our own. And with some luck, we might just find someone that knows some of this world's healing magic that could be of assistance to you, maybe even teach you a thing or two."

"Teach me magic? I don't know about that." James scoffed.

"Don't knock it before you try it. There are many ways to gain magical powers here, and it might just be the complement needed to put your mind at ease."

"Perhaps. But I guess that remains to be seen."

"Hey, boss! You done soon or what?" the two heard Percy call out as the grasshopper walked up to them. "We've got something to show you."

"Show me? What have you done now?" Tyroth asked concerned.

"You'll see, and I think you'll like it. Just hurry up, both of you. We won't eat until this is done, and I'm hungry."

* * *

The grasshopper lead Tyroth and James to the old village hall, where the rest of the populace had already gathered. There was one thing that caught Tyroth's attention, and that was that there was a large piece of cloth above the door, as if covering a sign or similar.

"Got any idea of what's going on, hun?" Sephie asked her mate as he walked up next to her.

"I was about to ask you the same." Tyroth responded.

"Sorry, but I don't know what they're up to. I've seen that people have worked on this place, but they've been very secretive about why, especially Leo."

"Leo, huh? What is he up to now?"

They were about to find out, for Leonardo walked up to the door of the village hall and addressed the crowd, but he looked in the direction of Tyroth and Sephie specifically.

"For a couple of weeks now, some of us have worked hard on a special project here, and not too long ago, we completed it. So it is with great pleasure that I now unveil our seat of power, Dragon Hall."

Pulling off the cloth, a brand new sign was revealed. Carved to look like a pair of extended dragon wings with the words 'Dragon Hall' engraved on it, in a vaguely rune-like font.

Tyroth looked at the sign in confusion, wondering what was going on, and he was about to get his answer, as Leonardo now addressed him personally.

"Tyroth, since you are our leader now, it is only fitting that you have a residence fitting of that position. So that's why we want this to be just that, your home."

"Wait, what?! My home?!"

"Yeah, that's right, boss." said Jack. "I mean, you are our jarl and all, and they should have a proper mansion, or something. So me and Leo got together with a few others and fixed this place up for you, Sephie, the geckolings, maybe even your folks, there's room for them."

"For real?" Sephie asked. "No, no, no, this must be a dream. This can't be happening."

"We're serious." said Leonardo. "You get several bedrooms, a study, meeting room, kitchen, pretty much everything you could want or need, during these circumstances."

* * *

"This is awesome!" Freya almost squealed, though she tried to keep her voice down as Leonardo wasn't done talking.

"Easy for you to say, you're getting a mansion. I couldn't even get a room in a tower. This is so unfair." Pandora complained.

"Hey, we could always set up a sleepover."

"Hmm, that would be great."

* * *

"This is just too much, Fearless." said Tyroth, his eyes travelling to the mansion and back to Leonardo again. "Can we really afford to spend this much on just the few of us?"

"The place was going to waste as it was. And it is a home worthy of our leader and family. You deserve it."

Again, Tyroth looked at the mansion. Then he closed his eyes for a moment and chuckled. Opening his eyes again, a few tears had formed in the corners.

"You guys are crazy, you know that, right? But you're my kind of crazy, and this is a wonderful gift. One I can't ever hope to repay."

"Be the leader we know you can be, and we'll call it square." Jack chuckled.

"And if not, these hats you bought for us more than make up for it. At least if you ask me." Michelangelo said with a wide smile, wearing one of the hats in question. Kate was at his side and only rolled her eyes at him, but with a smile as well all the same.

**Finally home, and with stuff to boot. People sure are curious about the new arrivals, whom clearly haven't had the best of time prior to this.  
Names and details are as follows, in case you need some clarification.  
****Mialeth: Black hair, silvery eyes. 75**

**Valynore: Dark blue hair, silvery eyes. 49**

**Inayra: Dark green hair, golden eyes. 22**

**Trust me, I needed it as I wrote this chapter. Not sure if the elves will be main characters, probably not, but they will still be around.**

**There is more going on than just them, as you've seen. And now Tyroth with family have a new home, and what a home, huh?**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Ever Evolving**

A few days passed, and life continued for the Mutopians, and their new arrivals. The elves were on the road to recovery, slowly and steadily, already looking a little healthier, and had started to open up and socialise with the others, also slowly and steadily.

People hadn't been happy learning that slavery existed in this world, or that the elves had been just that, and so they all supported Tyroth's decision of buying them to free them, though a few worried about the consequences of possible rumours regarding their leader buying slaves, and Tyroth shared this concern, but it would have to wait.

* * *

Sitting in the study of his new home, Tyroth was looking over a couple of maps together with Donatello.

"Vincent did a great job with these." Tyroth said as he inspected the maps. "Every detail you could ask for is present."

"And that has helped a lot." said Donatello, and traced a few lines on them with his finger. "Now here we got the farms that we're working the most on, and just as before you left, watering the fields is a lot of work, even on those closest to the river."

"Have you been able to handle it so far?"

"With a lot of work, yes. And we were lucky enough to have had a couple of rainy days over the weeks. But we can't rely on luck alone, which is why I propose that we build irrigation canals throughout the fields."

"To lead the water to the crops." Tyroth finished.

"Exactly. Now, I've done some rough calculations in my head, and while we would loose about one square mile of land at most, it would allow us to effectively water every field in the surrounding area with minimal effort. All we need to do is dig these canals, build water gates to keep the water out and regelate how much we let through when we open them, and we're done."

"Sounds like a plan, and a good investment. Make sure that you know where the canals will be the most efficient, then gather up some people and start working on this a soon as possible."

"You can count on me."

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

"Never a dull moment. Enter." Tyroth said, and the door opened, with Devina walking in.

"We got someone here to see you, chief." she said and stepped to the side, after which a very disgruntled Velnak walked in, but not without giving Devina a shove with his shoulder.

But the raven haired woman wouldn't take that kind of treatment from anyone, and she responded by pushing back with her hands, something that Velnak didn't take kindly to. However, as he was about to retaliate by slapping her, Devina hissed and showed him her fangs, which caused him to recoil in such fear that he fell flat of his ass.

"A vampire?! But… you were out in the sun!"

"Let's just say that I'm not a… normal vampire, and that there is nowhere for you to hide from me if I get hungry enough." she said with a smirk and a wink that left Velnak sweating.

"That's enough, Devina." Tyroth said calmly. "No need to reduce our workforce when we need it the most."

"Of course, my jarl."

"As for you, Velnak, your timing is indeed impeccable. We are just about to start a little project and could use the extra hands. Donnie, can you see to that he gets a place to stay, and then show him what needs to be done?"

"With pleasure, Tyroth." Donatello said. "I think we have a free shovel somewhere."

With that, Donatello led Velnak out of Dragon Hall, and later out to the fields, much to the noble's dismay.

"This is going to be fun. How long did you say he was going to work for us?" Devina asked as soon as she and Tyroth were alone.

"One whole year from today. Hopefully, that's gonna do him some good in the long run."

"Allow me to doubt that, I've met his kind before, and they can be very set in their own ways."

"Time will tell. But since you're here now, I have a few things that I'd like to discuss with you."

"Sure thing. Fire away."

"You seem to have recovered from your… sun drunkenness. Any lingering issues?"

"Other than the embarrassing memories of what I blabbered about? No, but that's more than enough for me." she responded, lowering her head in shame, but quickly raising it again and smiled. "Don't worry though, I won't overdo it in the future, I promise."

"Glad to hear it." Tyroth said with a smile. "Moving on, do you have any experience with creating magical items?"

"You mean enchanting?" Devina scratched her head. "Not really, I mean, I know as much as most people do in Skyrim and beyond, but I've never done any. Never had to learn it."

"But you do know something at least."

"Yeah, but like I said, it's pretty basic stuff. I only know what we need, not how to use it. You need a soul, usually contained in a soul gem, an object to enchant, the knowledge of an enchantment, and an arcane enchanter."

"Arcane enchanter…" Tyroth mused, mulling over the words for a brief moment. "I think we saw one of those when we arrived in Skyrim. A table with strange runes arranged in a star pattern, I could feel faint magic coming from it."

"Sounds like one to me. However, right now, we're lacking all those parts, save for items to enchant. We only had one soul gem while we travelled together, and we used it to cure Sephie of her vampirism. Though we do still have that dagger, don't we? The one that could trap souls of the beings it slayed in fitting containers."

"We do, but I don't like the idea of using souls as a form of resource."

"I don't like it either, never did. But why this interest in enchanting? You've not asked me about it before, so why now?"

"Because we might need it, and possibly soon." Tyroth explained. "Back on Earth, we were very lucky to live in such a place where most of our needs were easily satisfied. But here, we don't have what we used to any more. We don't have proper lights, or heat sources, or fridges and freezers. And with autumn and winter getting closer by the day, light and heat will be crucial."

"So you hoped that we could make magical things that could solve that. Now I understand, and I'm sorry that I couldn't help."

"No need to apologise, it's not your fault, and we'll find another way."

"With you as our leader, I have no doubt about that. You'll figure something out, I know you will."

"I'm not doing this because you all decided to elect me as leader, but because it's the right thing to do."

"And that's why we choose you."

"TYROTH!" a woman's voice cried, and shortly after, Erica barged into the room in a panic, terror and tears in her eyes.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" she yelled, holding out her hands, showing that her nails were longer and sharper than she usually kept them, each an inch long and almost claw-like even. Some form of thick liquid dripped from the tip of one of them, small strings of smoke rising from where it hit the floor.

"WHAT'S HAPPENED TO ME?!" Erica cried.

Tyroth hurried over to his mother and gently held her hands.

"Try to calm down, Mom. We'll figure this out." he said as calmly as he could, even though he understood and shared her distress. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know… it happened so quick… I was just finishing up a little cleaning in our room… and then all of a sudden my nails turned into claws… right in front of my eyes… What's wrong with me?"

"I don't know, yet." Tyroth frowned and thought for a moment, examining her hands carefully. Some of the thick liquid got on his hands and he winced slightly at the burning sensation of what was clearly some form of acid, yet Erica's own hands seemed unharmed.

"This seems familiar… but from where?" he mused, then his hands started glowing red as he began using his magic, hoping to understand what he was seeing. The red glow spread to Erica's hands, and Tyroth's eyes widened in surprise. "Can it really be?"

"Be what?" Devina asked, she also being very concerned.

"Please, just tell me what's wrong." Erica said.

"There is nothing wrong, Mom. This is actually your doing."

"What? How?"

"You've used magic."

"Magic?! But I can't use magic! Only you, Devina and the twins can use that!" Erica protested.

"Not any more. You've got the gift too now." Tyroth said, and a small smile formed on his lips.

"But… how? How is that even possible?"

"I'm not entirely sure, but I do have a theory. However, first I have to see to this."

Without any warning, Tyroth took a firm grip on the fingers on one of Erica's hands, and holding them in place, he quickly pressed the palm of his other hand onto the claws, letting them pierce his flesh, much to the shock of both Erica and Devina. But no sooner had he done that before Erica's nails on both hands returned to normal, even quicker than the wounds healed on Tyroth's hand.

"There, that should do it." he said, flexing his hand as Erica stared at her own in disbelief.

"What did you do? Did your blood remove the magic?"

"Not really, or at least not in the way you're thinking, Mom. Magic here, especially spells, work according to certain rules, at least in the books, and persistent spells all have a duration, that can be cut short. Usually, they require concentration to maintain, or they last until you hit a target. With the state you were in, it just couldn't have been a concentration based spell, so all you had to do was to hit someone or something to end it."

"Wow. Look at you, the magic detective." Devina said amazed.

"I've been reading the books a lot, and they've helped me develop my own magic even before we arrived in this world."

"That's all well and good, but how did this happen to me?" Erica interrupted. "How did I use magic? And how **can **I even use it in the first place?"

"Spells here require one or more components; gestures, phrases and/or materials. You must have had everything you needed to cast this, and I'm guessing that only gestures were needed for this. As to how you got the ability to begin with, my guess would be that it has something to do with what Zaleria have been teaching you over the last month."

"Zaleria? But, all she's been teaching me and Patch is how to live closer to nature, what we can use and how. There's nothing magical about that."

"Maybe not, but she is a druid, and I do believe that druids gain their magical powers through their deep bonds with nature itself. Whatever the case, I think we should have a talk with her all the same. And I wouldn't mind getting out of the office for a while."

"Then I guess I'll just dismiss myself." said Devina.

"You do that. Thanks for your help." Tyroth said as he left together with his mother to find Zaleria.

* * *

The elf in question had just then arrived back in the village, and was inspecting the plants on one of the fields, but she wasn't alone for long.

"Hey, Zaleria!" she heard a familiar voice call out, and looking at the source, she saw Patch the Badger walking up to her. "Glad to see you around here again."

"Greetings, Patch." Zaleria responded with a small smile. "The plants seem happier than when I first arrived here. It would seem that my teachings have aided you."

"They sure have, though the weather has also been great, so I guess you could say that we've gotten a bit of help."

"Nature gives and nature takes, and it always demands respect, but it does reward one in the end."

"We try our best."

"There you are." the two heard Tyroth say, just before he landed next to them, with Erica in his arms, whom he quickly let back down on the ground. "Glad that I didn't have to search the entire forest."

"Tyroth. Erica. How can I be of aid?"

"You can start by explaining why I can use magic now!" Erica almost snapped.

"I'm sorry, what? Magic?" Zaleria said, looking confused, but quickly focused on the matter at hand. "Tell me what happened."

"Like I told Tyroth, I was just finishing up some chores in my room, when my fingernails turned into claws. Claws! With acid! And they didn't turn back until I stabbed someone with them."

"I checked with my own magic, and it was indeed magic, but it didn't require any form of concentration." Tyroth clarified. "I recognise it from somewhere, but I haven't been able properly identify it just yet, though I strongly suspect that it is Druidic in nature."

"I see. Well, you are not wrong. The spell you describe sounds just like Primal Savagery, a small cantrip that only druids can learn. With it, we can channel the viciousness of nature, both flora and fauna, into our nails or teeth, and use it to strike down our foes."

"But why can I use it?" Erica asked. "You never taught us any magic."

"That is true, and I was not trying to either, but I did teach you the Druidic way of life, and that is tightly interwoven with the magical forces of nature that such a way bestow upon us. It would seem that I was not able to fully separate the two parts in my teachings."

"Does that mean that I can learn magic too?" Patch asked, a mix of anticipation and worry building inside of the badger.

"It is possible, but just because Erica has, does not mean that you will." Zaleria clarified, to which Patch seemed to get a little sad. "However, Druidic magic does not require an innate magical gift, but rather a deep connection with nature itself, so you have a far greater chance than anyone else in this village."

"So, will you teach me how to control this?" Erica asked.

"Everyone is different, and I can not promise much, but I will teach you what I know on what you know. However, whether you pursue these new gifts, and how, is entirely up to you."

"'How'? You mean there's more than one way?" Erica asked concerned. Zaleria place her hand on Erica's shoulder.

"Much more, my dear." Zaleria said with a soft smile. "But a lot of that is for a later time, if at all."

Looking at his mother, Patch and Zaleria, and then out over the village, Tyroth couldn't help but smile. Their old lives hadn't been boring by any definition of the word, but since arriving on Ewaros, things had become a different kind of interesting, even by their standards.

Only fate knew how the future would be.

And it would certainly be interesting.

* * *

Far away, in the cold north east of the world.

An old woman, dressed in furs and wearing the skull of a sabre-toothed cat on her head, sat in her home by the firepit, it and a few candles almost casting more shadows than light upon her, obscuring many of her features.

A man in his late forties, his long, dark brown beard braided into a single knot, leather armour being sighted underneath the fur coat, while a steel sword hung from his belt and a round shield on his back. His eyes narrowed and focused on the woman.

"You sent for me?" he said with a dark and rough voice. The woman looked up, light finally falling on her dark green skin and reflecting off of her two small tusks and yellow eyes. She smiled.

"The gods have showed me a vision, chieftain." she plied in a raspy voice. "The bones ache to be read."

"Then read them, seeress. Tell me what they say." the man said, sitting down opposite of her.

A wide grin spread across the woman's face. Taking a large hide pouch at her side, she undid the string and spread it out in front of her, revealing a dozen or so small bones, each engraved with a rune-like symbol. Gathering the bones in her hands, she shook them a few times before tossing them at the hide, waiting for them to settle.

Some bones landed with their symbols face up, while others were face down. Looking at how and where they lay, she silently studied everything.

"A place of our past lives again, spoils await us along the far western shores. Spoils that will ensure our survival."

"Gods be praised!" the man cheered, clenching his fist. "This could not have come at a better time, with the claws of winter above our heads. We must gather our warriors and raiders, ready our ships, and set sail soon. With the gods' blessings, we will strike when all three moons are silent, under cover of darkness."

The chieftain rose to his feet and was about to leave.

"Take head, chieftain!" the seeress said with a raised finger and stern look on her face. "The bones speak unclearly, as if uncertain whom the gods will favour. And there is one, blessed with fire, whom have their interest. I advice caution."

The chieftain turned around, locking eyes with the seeress.

"True warriors fear no foe, no matter how powerful. But only fools rush to an untimely, and unworthy, death. I will remember your warnings."

* * *

Somewhere, in the far south, inside a black castle that looked like it was stolen from feudal Japan, a Japanese man with sharp features and black hair with a few grey streaks, sat in the throne-room sipping some form of drink while reading some scrolls. His face was calm, but his eyes were focused.

A servant of some sort entered the room, bowing deeply while presenting another, much smaller scroll.

"A report from our spies in Berstolia, master." the servant said. "It arrived by bird."

The man took the small scroll and calmly read it, though his brow was furrowed and his eyes narrowed all the time.

"Interesting. This could prove to be a turning point." he said coldly once done reading, thinking for a while before addressing the servant again. "Fetch me our best spy and assassin, I wish to have this investigated as soon as possible."

"At once, master." the servant said, bowing again and hurrying out of the throne-room, making sure to close the doors on the way out. Once alone again, the man resumed reading the scrolls and sipping his drink, but now with a faint smirk on his lips.

"Most interesting."

**Life continues in the new Mutopia, and clearly in new ways. With Erica now being what in DND would be a level one druid, and she's only just scratched the surface of what she's capable of now, and that's just at first level.**

**However, as you noticed towards the end, there's some foreshadowing going on. Just to keep things interesting.**


End file.
